Our Only Possession

I am surrounded by books. There are so many I keep them in two separate rooms. It might be the writer in me or the collector that makes me fill my shelves. Books are not the only items I have. Like most anyone I own a variety of goods which have accumulated over the years. It occurs to me though that human beings have only one true thing we can call our own. All that we have and all that we are is the mind.

Every aspect of who we are is locked up in the brain. What we think, feel and reason is determined in that body part we can never display visually. Our memories are shaped, recorded and replayed in our head. If we forget things are they truly lost or are we just unable to retrieve them? This is just one of the many mysteries of the mind.

All that we are and all that we may be is determined mentally before anything else. Our inner selves exist deep within. We can be manipulated physically but it takes much more to influence a person's mind. This is why it is so difficult to get in shape for example. Effort is required to build muscles but it first takes motivation to start. Our inner dialogue is hard enough for us to manage let alone another.

The point I am trying to make is that physical items come and go. They can be bought, sold and destroyed. What is truly lasting is that which resides inwardly. Our personalities, memories and all that we are is that which we store in the brain. We create all meaning in our lives. Whatever possessions matter only do so because we have assigned some level of importance to them.

I think about the afterlife quite a bit. I know that I cannot take my books with me. I look around and I try to understand just what matters. This is the reason for this post. What we see is fleeting. All that I have is all that I am. My intellect, my sense of humor, all that is Dan can never be taken away. I pray that all that makes me who I am will somehow live on beyond when my body ceases to function.