The Pawning of Ourselves

I admit it, I love this show!

During the reading of "Possessions and the Extended Self" by Russell W. Belk, I was fascinated by the Loss Of Possessions section.

As a child, we never really had a distinct home and, to this day, the question of "Where are you from?" is confusing for me.  Recently my children expressed interest in camping and I was talking to my brother about how I wasn't interested in camping even though we did it all the time as kids.  My brother laughed and said "You know we weren't camping right?  We lived there."  Really?!  How did I not catch on to that? Well, I suppose that explains my gut reaction to camping.

Anyways, what I do remember about those years were the frequent visits to various pawn shops.  It was a constant cycle.  When times were good, we would accumulate "stuff" and when times were bad, we sold everything again.  This was difficult for me.  I can definitely identify with the Loss Aversion referenced in the book Nudge.  Things seemed far more valuable to me than they were worth in dollars and cents.

The article refers to a grieving process for possessions that is similar to the grief in losing a loved one.  The grief goes through stages of denial, anger, depression, and finally acceptance.  The mourning is not just the loss of the utility of that item but also the loss of self. 

I wonder if the person negotiating the price often feels a bit like a counselor too?  Do they understand the grief and sorrow?  Comparing their skills to that of a funeral home director is ridiculous but I would think some of the same compassion and empathy would be beneficial.

As for my brother and I, we have chosen very different paths when it involves our extended selves.  I haven't moved in almost 15 years and have acquired a house full of "things" that I would be upset to lose.  My brother can fit all of his possessions in a backpack and happily travels from place to place without a plan.  He still pawns things from time to time...

Now this is something we can all relate to!