I agree this dichotomy exists and find it useful to ponder for balancing your life.
But there is another more specific one in your context: objects are to be respected vs objects are to be useful.
My mother takes a lot of care of her objects. Her stuff lasts for very long.
Mine don't, but my life is much easier than hers because I don't think twice about making something dirty or worn. It's not alive; it's meant to make my life easier, we built it for it.
Again there is a balance: go too far and you get bad ROI out of your object.
But books fall very much into that category for me. I write on them, cut pages, turn them into a mess. They get a wild life, and then I discard them.
They are not trophies or decoration. They are not sacred.
And yet I may buy the same one 5 times for many friends, or just because I messed one up.
But there is another more specific one in your context: objects are to be respected vs objects are to be useful.
My mother takes a lot of care of her objects. Her stuff lasts for very long.
Mine don't, but my life is much easier than hers because I don't think twice about making something dirty or worn. It's not alive; it's meant to make my life easier, we built it for it.
Again there is a balance: go too far and you get bad ROI out of your object.
But books fall very much into that category for me. I write on them, cut pages, turn them into a mess. They get a wild life, and then I discard them.
They are not trophies or decoration. They are not sacred.
And yet I may buy the same one 5 times for many friends, or just because I messed one up.