Here's the short version. I found myself sweltering in my office when the overhead fan stopped working. My knowledge of electricity is to learn where the on/off switch is and make certain it is that easy to operate.

With no degree in electrical engineering, I was able to determine that because the light worked, it was not the "light kit" that was malfunctioning. I checked with the local electrician and found, much to my dismay but not my surprise, ceiling fan motors were not repairable. "Go buy a new unit," ... which is what I did.

Through a friend's recommendation, I "hooked up with Ron the handyman." Get your minds out of places they shouldn't be going.... I engaged Ron to "hook up my fan."

As he went through the process of putting blades to motor (assembling it), he asked me where the remote was. "Hanging the the wall," I told him. We chatted back and forth and much to my chagrin, he informed me that my previous "universal remote" was no longer universal. I know when I asked him, "when had the universes changed"; he was out of my orbit.

Back to Home Depot where I sought out the person who had recommended the fan to me the day before. If I needed a remote, why hadn't she recommended it to me before I left the complex? It wasn't so much the cost; it was the total inconvenience of having to purchase a new "universal remote."

It is long overdue for us to return to a world where one can fix rather than replace. I wanted to purchase a new fan motor... not a new fan! It's what we're throwing away in the landfills that could be stopped. No secret.... we're running out of landfill disposal room.

As consumers, if we put enough pressure on manufacturers that we want our purchases to last and do not purchase everything that is destined to be disposal, we might take back our world!  OMG, as my grandson reminds me.... it's time!