REPLICATE
What to Replicate?
To replicate is to repeat or to make a copy. In the material sense this is impossible because when you make or get a duplicate key (or whatever) the pattern may be the same but the actual atomic and molecular structure are not identical. But in most cases it is the pattern that you want to copy anyway. So ask yourself if you want to replicate is the exact entity or the feelings it induced in you – people often confuse the two. Don’t!
Why to Replicate?
Something that you value, be it a thing or an event, goes out of your “life space”. Perhaps a thing is lost, a person dies of moves on, an event or relationship ends. If it’s a song on a CD you can re-play it, and replicate the experience all over again. Material goods can be replaced, but not always the affection invested in them. Many entities are one-time-only. The wise attitude is “detached involvement” – holding on is a hang-up.
When to Replicate?
When the result of some change in the entity is that it no longer serves your needs, the most obvious immediate option is to get a replicate. If the entity still is serving its function, it is a waste to replace it – I wear my clothes and my watches out before getting new ones, and so should any sensible person. Here the definition of replication comes into play. Serving the same function can be replication even if the means is different.
Whether to Replicate?
This depends upon the previous answers: If it is the feeling rather than the entity you want to replicate, is that really possible or not? Are you trying to “turn back the clock” when circumstances all around you have changed irrevocably? Do you really need what you want, or could some alternate arrangement adequately serve the same function? If it’s just a worn out key, get a new one – but there is no going back to the original.
How to Replicate?
Clarify what you can replicate, and what you cannot. Assess the costs and consequences of duplicating what is feasible, be that physical, financial, or emotional. Here is another situation where “satisficing” is wise – “you can’t always get what you want, but sometimes you can get what you need”! Don’t squander your time, efforts or money trying to recreate the impossible – replace what you can, and forget the rest.
References
John Dewey
HOW WE THINK
Prometheus Books, Buffalo, 1991 [1910]