Musings: The Value of Possessions

Musings: The Value of Possessions

What would you do if you lost all your possessions?

The prompt asked: “What would you do if you lost all your possessions?”

I would do what refugees around the world are forced to do—get up and start over again. While the loss of material things would be hard, their value pales in comparison to what I truly treasure, which would be difficult, if not impossible, to replace. I would deeply miss letters from friends, small gifts and mementos, old photographs, my books, and paintings. But in the end, the memories tied to those items live on, undisturbed, in my mind—because, as I often remind myself, “my last coat does not have any pockets.”

As William Shakespeare so wisely wrote:

That which we have, we prize not to the worth
While we enjoy it; but being lacked and lost,
Why, then we rack the value, then we find
The virtue that possession would not show us
While it was ours.

WJJH – 5.10.2024

Musings: Losing all possessions would be challenging, yet similar to the experiences of refugees. The inherent value of memories and personal connections surpasses material loss. Although cherished items like letters and photographs would be missed, their memories remain intact. Ultimately, the true worth of possessions is realized when they are lost.