On average I speak to 70 000 people a year in person, face to face, about the life expectancy of a clock or music box. Its a measure of quality; of value.

Often I am surprised by the unease of the enquirer when I mention that these artefacts will accompany quite a few generations. I guess it can be interpreted that the clock or music box is of greater value than a human life? My words are twisted to sound something like: “You will pass on my friend and when your family returns from your grave this clock will be ticking and that music box will be playing a tune when the new husband hangs his coat…”
I remember turning on my sister’s transistor radio after her death. It was unplugged and yet it played. The batteries had outlasted her! It upset me greatly and irrationally.

Or maybe we as consumers are dwarfed by these durables. We demand consumables! What will become of us if our purchases outlive us?! What will we do? There will be no need for buying! Our very indentities as consumers are threatened!

Note: All our clocks and music boxes are mechanically operated, wind up movements. Life expectancy stretches to 10 generations. Yet, without the human hand to do the winding, there is no music.