This question is raised time and again and has anyone ever really come up with the answer? Why on earth do we feel compelled to spend money on things we do not really need? Why do we purchase, accumulate and hold on to so much stuff? There are hundreds of blogs and Utube videos on this subject. More self help books on the bookstore shelves and available through Amazon, it would take five years to read them all. Still it carries on. If we could successfully answer this question, would we then not free ourselves, free our lives and actually pursuit things of more importance?
What are we striving for, what do we want to achieve, feel or be? What is the meaning of the stuff? We all know we don't take it with us when we go. Do we really own it, or does it own us?
Excess material possessions do not necessarily enrich our lives. Purchasing a multitude of things keeps us from experiencing some wonderful life giving benefits. If we could really take a look and realize the cause we could actually become more vigilant in overcoming it.
Life has a natural tendency to become filled with more. We are rarely looking to downgrade, to simplify, to eliminate, to reduce . Our natural inclination is to accumulate, to add, to upgrade, to build upon.
But do we really know why? How much thought goes into this and is the end result of all the stuff we own giving us what we want or need to find happiness, peace and contentment?
Do we not understand that all the stuff really ends up owning us and taking up a huge amount of our time, energy and head space.
This has been approached at from so many angles it's exhausting, but still it continues everywhere. So why do we do it, accumulate and hold on to so many things.? I believe it's fear. Fear causes us to continually purchase items we do not really need and hold to so much more of what we are never really going to use. Yes fear.
We keep a lot of clothing and other similar items as we feel they are part of our self-expression. There is a fear of not having the options to choose should we have a lot less. We fear not having a choice, we would limit our self expression. We like to have options, so we fear not having any. Last but not least we really fear we are not good enough the way we are without these items.
We hold onto all types of sentimental items because we don't want to loose that memory. That time, that place, that relationship, that lover, that day, that event, that special friend or family member. Are we not really fearing that we are losing the love of that relationship, the meaning of what those items hold for us. Is there a fear that the love we have now is not good enough?
We hold onto things we never use anymore, because one day you may need them. You never know. But we never do. We fear lack of safety or certainty. Could we just not be certain we would never use this item again. Ever.
We fear being vulnerable to sadness and loss that we had no control over and we use objects to fill those voids. We fear being rejected if we were not accepted in our early lives. Again we choose objects to help us cope.
So we could go on and on but we get the point. But in reality all possessions that are not absolute necessities are purchased or kept for different degrees of fear. We want to feel comforted, free from anxiety. We want to feel prepared and secure. Loved and noticed. We want to be certain about our future. We want to know that we will be OK. In reality our stuff does not do any of these things. We hope they do, but they do not. It is a cycle that never ends.
So what can we do and what is the solution?
We need to find better ways to cope with our fears.
However, that is another post. So until then.
Namaste
Images: Google Search
Very good article and accurate . I find it's what we are surrounded with and that becomes our focus. If you watch TV, travel, go on social media, pretty much anywhere in modern society we are sold "stuff". We see it everywhere thus it sticks in our heads. Plus it's that feeling you have when you don't have something and you are told you need it. It's very sad and as you say a depressing cycle. For myself I found this out when I used to work in Investment Banking Headhunting, no matter what people got paid 100k, 300k 1mil they still wanted or thought they needed more. It's a trap and people waste their lives stuck in it. For me I saw this and became bored of this life hence way I sold my and gave to charity all my stuff years ago and moved out of that environment. Now I'm trying to find the balance between experiencing all that is life and enjoying new tech and things I like.
I here you. I years ago worked in an Investment Department for a large insurance company, in a large city. Three years ago, we bailed the big city of 6 million and moved 1800kms away to a small coastal village of 500. Exploring life and all it has to offer. Thought we had it made in the shade and the perfect balance. Now I have to go back to the back city and put my mother into an assisted living apartment and sell her home and figure out what to do with the contents. 3500sq ft. 3 cars and 10 acres of land. More stuff than I had when I got rid of mine. I am having heart palpitations. Writing this blog was helpful to me, hopefully someone else can think their way through the maze. I figure it will take me a good year. Then I am bailing ship, putting what stuff I have in storage and off we go to somewhere. Not sure where. It is just so very sad in the end. Hey thanks for stopping by again. :))
ahh sorry to hear about your Mum. Yeah loads of stuff to take care of which might feel a bit suffocating especially figuring it all out, but good plan to have a goal at the end of it. Love the idea of just heading off into the sunset somewhere, anywhere :)
on a positive note I am taking my running shoes with me..still going to run everyday inbetween packing it up. lol
I like it, pack a box then run a mile haha
completely my intent
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@tipU!- upvotes with with 2.5 x profit + daily payouts to investors :)Really great blog Marion.
thank you xx
Hahahahah.. LOL ^_^