Possessions

I have a house that shelters me during the winter months and I also have a car offering me the freedom of movement. I have a lot of wonderful friends and an overwhelmingly loving family.

"We are what we have" (Van Esterick, 1986)

Are we?

I never thought I was a person of attachment, nor do I think that I am one for commitment. My friends and I like to joke that all of our commitment is to our outside skis on the hill. So when we started to think this week about possessions and the extended self I had to reflect on what items hold value to me, and only me? What in my life has sentimental value and what makes them valuable?

It's very interesting that we can be so attached to certain items that we would be willing to run into a burning building to save them. Attachment has many forms and doesn't discriminate to whom and to what we are willing to let ourselves become attached to.

I found it very interesting the items people chose, but then upon hearing their stories regarding their objects it became crystal clear why they chose them. Items gain value through experiences, and experiences are what shape us as individuals. I turn to Einstein on this topic who says that "the only source of knowledge is experience". Valuables aren't always a symbol of wealth as I sometimes think, but they are a symbol of experience.

All items hold value, if you are willing to give them value and they can become an extension of yourself. I look to my favorite pair of shoes and wonder why I don't just get rid of them? But then I remember that I designed them and of all the places they have taken me. I can't just "throw them out"; they have personality, they've seen things and I keep telling myself that they have plenty of life left in them. So no, I can't just throw them out, that would be like throwing out a piece of my identity.

I really liked the ad that I've included below and I think it sums up the idea of possessions quite nicely, even if it is taken from the perspective of a dog.






In closing, I guess we really are what we have, as our possessions shape our identities through experiences. I guess we all should insure our most "valuable" items, even if it is a bone!