Living in an alcove or small room and wearing a uniform during formative years can become a habit of mind regarding possessions.// Things can own the owner.// The sense of owning investments and property has been shaken by this recession- not to mention the housing, business and job losses- all seeming beyond an individual's control- and due to take some time to repair.// I also am amazed by shopoholics- really, I think they are addicted- whether about their clothes, etc. or stuff for their homes and all of that filters down to the children.// Our culture is terribly materialistic. Advertising drums how we all must "fit in"- so, in part, most do- fitting in with the neighbors, business associates.// Divorce and death make known the financial impact of our personal lives and it certainly brings out the worst traits in some people- but it also reveals their character.// Yes- donations are really a gift in reverse or even giving things away when someone likes something you don't need or use.// Basically, we only own ourselves and our own committments to self and others- the rest is all dross.
On Jul 28, 12:31�pm, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> wrote: > Wonderful topic, Francis, thanks. �I too have lost just > everything more than once, and somehow, as I now look around me, "own" > way too many things and am spending my time and thought to disposing > of them, giving them away to folks who can use them, giving in an act > of love. > > I don't remember giving much thought to what I actually owned until I > divorced. �Fear and intimidation was a big part of that process for me > until I realized that I had nothing to fear, didn't really care what > "things" were assigned to me, and that my children would always be in > my life and love me, whatever the courts hammered out. �After this > pivotal moment for me, I just kept saying "let him have it..." (apart > from full custody) left that marriage with my faith that the lord > provides and I would have what I need to take care of myself and my > children. �This, in fact, proved to be true, as job offers, pay > increases, and the creature comforts needed to provide a home all came > my way, as long as, I noticed, I did not care if I had them or not, > and as long as in each moment, I continued to love with all my heart. > > This is why I so admire the story of St. Francis. �To me, his story is > just that proof of faith, that the Lord provides. �And so, in his own > way, he kicked off his sandals and wandered away from his fathers > comfortable home into the wilderness where the Lord provided the proof > of faith he required for the rest of his days, and for all his other > needs also. > > In these tough economic times it is difficult to remain faithful and > calm while I and everyone around me realizes that half or more of what > they thought they owned was gone in terms of net worth. �Woosh! > Vanished. �As if it wasn't ever real to begin with. �And was it? > > My husband and I play with the notion of owning each other - like > complete owning - knowing every aspect as deeply as true intimacy will > allow. �This is the flip side of controlling every detail and > dominating a partner. �There is a freedom in integrated ownership, > where you take complete authority and responsibility for providing the > space of honesty, appreciation and safety necessary so that ownership > between partners in a relationship means freedom and intimacy, where > the others desires are yours as well, because they allow the highest > potential of the loved one and bring you into your highest potential > at the same time. �This has nothing, really, to do with things. �But > somehow I think, that if we can live in relationship like this, to > live, to our partner, to all others, the things manifest that provide > our comfort. �Sometimes, it seems, in excess. > > There is one thing to own, your self and how you relate. �The rest > follows. > > On Jul 28, 1:02�pm, frantheman <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > In the course of the recent discussion here concerning the reposting > > of Minds Eye contributions in other internet fora, the question of > > copyright arose. It got me to thinking about the idea of intellectual > > ownership and the idea of possession in general. > > > We have all seen the Westerns in which the Native Americans sold away > > title to land for nothing, or pittances because the white man's > > concept of "owning" land was incomprehensible to them. Throughout > > history, many of those whom we regard as great thinkers have been very > > critical of the benefits of possessions and owning things. Indeed, a > > controversy centred on the absolute poverty of Christ raged throughout > > the medieval Christian Church and completely split the Franciscan > > movement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ > > Franciscans#Renewed_controversy_on_the_question_of_poverty). In this > > context, it is perhaps interesting to note that one of the all-time > > heroes here on Minds Eye, William of Occam, was a proponent of the > > principle of absolute poverty and lost his job as English Franciscan > > provincial and was excommunicated as a result. > > > Personally I spent almost a decade as a Dominican friar, during which > > time I took a "vow of poverty." I don't want to go into a discussion > > on the extent to which Catholic monks actually live according to this > > vow here, personally, I always found it to be the expression of an > > attitude of freedom from a dictatorship of "things." It may also have > > left an indelible mark on me in that in almost a quarter of a century > > since leaving the order I have been pretty bad at earning, > > accumulating and retaining material wealth and possessions. During my > > life I have gone through a number of pretty radical changes, which > > have often involved leaving nearly everything behind and starting > > again. Such processes have been, inevitably, traumatic, although not > > necessarily negative. One of the things that has helped is the fact > > that I have never felt particularly attached to "things". But maybe my > > sense of "ownership" is just underdeveloped, or damaged! > > > There's a German saying which states that "he who has possessions has > > worries." Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, one of the founders (!) of modern > > anarchism went farther with his statement that "property is theft." > > What does it mean to "own" something anyway? > > > To use Molly's words: What do you think? > > > Francis- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. 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