The True Meaning of Luxury

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Clint Eastwood once remarked:
“Don’t look for luxury in watches or bracelets. Don’t look for luxury in villas or sailboats. Luxury is laughter and friends. Luxury is rain on your face. Luxury is hugs and kisses. Luxury is being loved by people. Luxury is being respected. Luxury is what money can’t buy.”

His words cut through the glitter of modern consumerism, reminding us that the richest treasures in life are rarely found in shop windows. Real luxury is intangible — moments, relationships, and feelings that can’t be purchased, yet enrich us immeasurably.

But there’s another layer to what we call “luxury.”

Take mechanical watches, for example. Their craftsmanship is exquisite, their presence timeless. Yet, keeping them alive is a ritual — winding, setting, maintaining, and wearing them regularly. If you own more than one, the routine multiplies. Their beauty depends on your attention. Yes, you can buy an automatic winding case, but that almost defeats the purpose — the connection between your hand and the heartbeat of the watch.

And your love — or perhaps obsession — with these intricate toys keeps you from buying a smartwatch “for convenience.” There’s also that quiet guilt, the feeling of betraying something you cherish.

The same is true for fountain pens. Their grace lies not just in design, but in devotion. You must write with them often, refill the ink, clean the nib. Leave them untouched too long, and they dry up — elegance here is inseparable from effort.
And just like your watch, your affection for these pens keeps you from trading them for an iPad and Apple Pencil. It’s love, mixed with loyalty — and maybe a touch of guilt again.

Maybe that’s the hidden truth: material luxury always demands something from us. Time. Care. Presence. The irony is that while these objects promise refinement, they often consume the very peace and leisure they symbolize.

And so, Eastwood’s words echo even deeper — if caring for possessions begins to cost us the moments that define life itself, then what’s left of luxury?

Because in the end, real luxury isn’t winding a watch or filling a pen.
It’s the freedom to pause, to smile, and to laugh in the rain with the people you love.
That is the true meaning of luxury in modern life — not what we own, but how deeply we live.

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