Are we defined by our possessions?
 

I noticed last evening while surfing the forum, tha tthere are several usernames that involve the type of car we drive or wish to drive. It started me thinking about the thread's question. What do you think, are you defined by what you do or what you have?

Often, we let others define us, by what we have, what we do..etc.
Some choose to influence others by displays of material possession. Some choose to influence people opinion of themselves with charm.
The truly great define themselves. They will never use society as the mirror that defines them. They will choose their own path.

Well said, Thank you.

Material possessions do weigh us down. We strive and struggle daily to maintain what we have and to acquire more. Too many lost souls seek desperately for anything solid to land on. Oten times it becomes a job, hobby, another person (be the interest romantic, political, ideological), religious fervor, what have you. The type of folk that you are referring to are those who most strongly identify themselves with a possession, and thus are themselves defined by it as you surmise.

i believe we are not definied by our possesions. what you are asking eludes to how others perceive one person. ultimately, how you are perceived is going to be reflected upon how you treat others. Your attitdue towards people and how you interact with them.

on the other hand, how you perceive yourself will be your definition. if you are materialistic, and feel the need to flaunt your possesions, then you are someone looking for others approval and are therefore defined by your possesions.

just my opinion. and yeah, i agree, well said mr. sticky and moonduck.

Absolutely not.

Nor are we even defined so much by what we do.

I think who each of us IS is defined moment to moment by our being, which leads to our behaviors. Possessions have as little to do with who you are as anything I can think of. Someone who's trying to define themselves through their possessions (or who allows themselves to be defined by them) is going about it bass-ackward, as they will eventually discover. Or not.

My user name is definitely based upon a car I would like to own someday, but I don't believe that we are defined by our possessions at all. As others have said, our actions are what help define us, but also, the way we think and feel define us. Some people will try to define others based on what they own, but these people will be missing out on quite a bit.

Tyler?

I think we are defined by our actions. If those actions are materialistic, then we are materialstic. Yet even a monk is defined by his possessions: his lack of them. Yet since he has so few possessions, we are more observant of his "inner possessions," whether they are charm, grace, logic, or impatience, negativity, or intolerance.

Yes, i process a mind that is generally used for thinking and as such, I am defined as thoughtful and articulate with some smarts thrown in. Actual property and stuff I do own only add small amounts of positives to my life, except one thing. And that one procession I am striving to obtain, will be my ultimate gift to me and mine.

I am defined by what I have.

I have a dictionary.

I am undefinable. Any attempt to do so would fall woefully short of reality. You can describe me but you cannot define me. All i really have is my body and what is in my head. A definition based on possesion relies on the external and the artificial, which are ever changing and divisive.

BRAVO! Well freakin' said!

that's how things are marketed and advertised to us... so by default it's defining us.

No object defines me.
No one defines me.

I am what my nature is.
Caring
Inquisitive
Passionate
Angry
Anxious
Creative
Adventurous
Prideful
Honorable
Lustful
Visual
Pondering
Slothful

Nothing has control of my destiny,
only me dealing with me as I interact with life as it is.

To a certain extent it does je crois...i mean say i have a certain music taste. Without the cd's, teh mp3s...it's just taste and no music. Or, i am a fiscal conservative, perhaps finance books by republicans reflect that when they sit on my coffee table. So it does define us, but it defines us to other people. Like, evidence in a way, and reassures ourselves that's who we are.

hehe...
what if you have boobies... are you then labeled a woman?
What about a dangle down ? Male I assume ?
Do we live by these particular labels ?

posessions are jsust comforts your gonna lose em once u die nothing lasts forever

you're defined by your possessions only if that's how you define yourself. IMO who you are is more important than what you've got