The Tyranny of Things

Well this could be the entire blog. But I am sure I will find other things to rant about. This blog is all about ranting. And the first rant is about the tyranny of things.

Quite simply put, the question is, do we possess things, or do they possess us, or is ownership some weird balance between being owned and possessing. The larger question might be, "Is the benefit of owning something greater than the burden of responsibility for having it?"

All this has arisen because we are thinking of moving. Although moving is commonplace for young people, it becomes more of a life-defining moment when you reach the age of sixty (or fifty-eight or sixty-five, or whenever it is time for a change;) the contemplation, the very concept of moving becomes a crucible in which your fundamental values are tested. And one of those most certainly is your attachment to things.

Now . . . let's come clean here. I am about as big a 'thing' person as has ever been. I love my video and photo cameras, my cooking implements, my wine collection, my hot tub. My cars. My houses. Stop! Stop! This is getting disgusting already. Let's just say, if we're talking about attachment to things, I might well be the poster boy. Sure, there are far more material people than I, but if it comes to holding up an exemplar of material-free existence, I am not the guy. In fact, I am way back near the end of the line, probably about two places ahead of the bonehead who just bought a Hummer.

That being said, a new current is flowing through our household. The idea has taken root that, after a mere 20 years or so in this one place, it might be time for a different arrangement.

And this radical concept has spawned a whole host of additional thoughts, mostly centered around: "Which of these objects that surround you actually might matter in your next life?" And I don't mean an afterlife; I am not trying to bring my material possessions into my spirit world. I am not dying (other than slowly and inevitably.) Life will go on. So . . . what to bring and what to ditch?

To ditch or not to ditch - - that is the question.

The tyranny of things. Are you the owner or the owned. More to come.