I do want to make things. I want to make things that are thoughtful, meet a valid need, last as long as appropriately possible, and beautify the world.
There is a lot of needless junk in the world, but if designers give up the fight, I think we’ll just see more needless junk than before. Design may contribute to the proliferation of stuff, but it also contributes to the continued use of and our emotional attachment to stuff.
I think the endless thirst for stuff is more a societal symptom than it is a cause created in part by designers. Design, like everything else, is a tool that can be used for good and for bad.