Freedom of not owning any physical objects

[Spirit of Light]

I love owning stuff and having possessions

The big question I asked my self was, do I need this thing in my life to be happy, and the answer i found was, No i do not need objects to be happy

 

[MNoBody]

however that would depend
since, say in this case an artist who produces art, which is an artifact, an object which another can desire and trade for....
i know how challenging it is to produce art out of stone and metal
the tools to work it cost $$$, the materials are costly
the $$$ tend to be the main mechanism that keeps workflow continuity
synchronicity also is providential, but is typically sporadic
so how does an artist maintain that flow without the $ component [given our whole economic system is based on that being the prize]?

 

[Spirit of Light]

however that would depend
since, say in this case an artist who produces art, which is an artifact, an object which another can desire and trade for....
i know how challenging it is to produce art out of stone and metal
the tools to work it cost $$$, the materials are costly
the $$$ tend to be the main mechanism that keeps workflow continuity
synchronicity also is providential, but is typically sporadic
so how does an artist maintain that flow without the $ component [given our whole economic system is based on that being the prize]?

That is a question you must ask an artist who lives by selling his or her art That is not something i do

 

[Quagmire]

When I was a full time transient, I would sometimes stash most of my belongings in the woods or under an overpass and go into town carrying just what I needed for the day stuffed in a day pack.

Occasionally, I'd get back to my stash place to find everything gone. When that happened, my first reaction would feel like a punch in the stomach, but that passed pretty quick and was ( far as I can remember) always replaced by this wonderful feeling of relief and excitement:
relief because I now had much less to carry and to worry about, excitement because I knew that one way or another I was going to replace it all, and that there would no doubt be an adventure or two and a few minor miracles involved.

I liked to call that "goin' naykid": nothing between me and the rest of the universe but empty space and possibilities.

 

[MNoBody]

That is a question you must ask an artist who lives by selling his or her art That is not something i do

matters not really if you are an 'artist' in fact, producing artifacts....but indeed you also are an artist, as words and thoughts are an art, living is an art, and this thread seems to me to be about a piece of living art
your vignette presented as a piece of work which expresses something from the artist to ....the recipients of the piece.
*[just to let you know that your 2 cents matters anyway....since it is just a basic question]

 

[Revoltingest]

the thing is we are not self-sufficient...we need fuel ...to make steam
keeping the boiler fed

ole Pete had some insights

Interesting...I'm planning to pick up a Dake steam engine tomorrow.

 

[Spirit of Light]

matters not really if you are an 'artist' in fact, producing artifacts....but indeed you also are an artist, as words and thoughts are an art, living is an art, and this thread seems to me to be about a piece of living art
your vignette presented as a piece of work which expresses something from the artist to ....the recipients of the piece.

Maybe my message to the world is, free your self from the feeling of "must own the best and newest things" But I can not ask that of others, because they are in a totally different stage in life then what I have become. Some people do need physical objects in their life to do a job or be to help others.

 

[PureX]

In the moment when I chose to give away or on a few occasion sell my belongings, I realized how good and free it felt. To not be worried about what I have or don't have. Yes, I might borrow a thing or two but if the owner needs it back it's not difficult at all. it's not mine so I can, of course, give it back at any time.

Actually it is a very free feeling of living

But how do you 'give back' the food you eat, or the space you occupy?

 

[Spirit of Light]

But how do you 'give back' the food you eat, or the space you occupy?

The food is nourishment for the body, if got the food from friends i would do them a favor back as payment, or sometimes buy a little in the store when i have money.
The space my body take in this world is not something i control i was not responsible for my own birth

 

[TransmutingSoul]

In the moment when I chose to give away or on a few occasion sell my belongings, I realized how good and free it felt. To not be worried about what I have or don't have. Yes, I might borrow a thing or two but if the owner needs it back it's not difficult at all. it's not mine so I can, of course, give it back at any time.

Actually it is a very free feeling of living

One can also own some worldly possessions and still not be attached to them. This is the aim I see we have to achieve.

In the end we leave it all behind, but the world will go on and we can pass what we own on in this life to others.

Baha'u'llah has said there is no harm in worldly possessions, as Long as they do not prevent us serving each other and the greater good.

We can also consider that the world needs an economy where thee are jobs and material things create jobs.

There is a law in the Baha'i Faith, yet to be implemented, that a person if able is to change their furnishings every 19 years. I see that would help the economy.

Regards Tony

 

[Spirit of Light]

One can also own some worldly possessions and still not be attached to them. This is the aim I see we have to achieve.

In the end we leave it all behind, but the world will go on and we can pass what we own on in this life to others.

Baha'u'llah has said there is no harm in worldly possessions, as Long as they do not prevent us serving each other and the greater good.

We can also consider that the world needs an economy where thee are jobs and material things create jobs.

There is a law in the Baha'i Faith, yet to be implemented, that a person if able is to change their furnishings every 19 years. I see that would help the economy.

Regards Tony

Yes, we don't have to give away everything to be free from attachments to objects, that is very true In my case that was done now to be able to survive the next months because of how little income i have but in the same time, it was refreshing to be able to not own anything, no worries about something could be stolen or if something happens to the home I stay in.

 

[WalterTrull]

In the moment when I chose to give away or on a few occasion sell my belongings, I realized how good and free it felt. To not be worried about what I have or don't have. Yes, I might borrow a thing or two but if the owner needs it back it's not difficult at all. it's not mine so I can, of course, give it back at any time.

Actually it is a very free feeling of living

My feeling is that since there are actually no "physical objects" and that ""thy will be doe in earth" we needn't get hung up on it. I applaud your shedding of the "owning" syndrome, just remember he gives us our daily bread.

 

[PureX]

The food is nourishment for the body, if got the food from friends i would do them a favor back as payment, or sometimes buy a little in the store when i have money.
The space my body take in this world is not something i control i was not responsible for my own birth

My point is that the freedom from "objects" is a bit of an illusion. To exist is to be 'enslaved' by an object: namely your body, and the requirements that come with it (it occupies space and requires energy to maintain itself). Such that to exist, is to be 'beholding' to existence for that gift. There is no freedom from this except to cease existing, and that's not freedom, either, as it leaves absolutely no possibilities available to us of any kind. And without possibilities, we are free to do/be what? Only nothing.

So our solutions do not lay in these kinds of abstract extremes. Our solutions lay in the ideal balance between these abstract extremes. And this is where one should look for them.

 

[Spirit of Light]

My point is that the freedom from "objects" is a bit of an illusion. To exist is to be 'enslaved' by an object: namely your body, and the requirements that come with it (it occupies space and requires energy to maintain itself). Such that to exist, is to be 'beholding' to existence for that gift. There is no freedom from this except to cease existing, and that's not freedom, either, as it leaves absolutely no possibilities available to us of any kind. And without possibilities, we are free to do/be what? Only nothing.

So our solutions do not lay in these kinds of abstract extremes. Our solution lay in the ideal balance between these abstract extremes. And this is where one should look for them.

Your answer is not wrong at all, but it is not the only answer that can be seen. we are in a body, yes, but as the Buddhist often says, the body is not me. it is only a physical manifestation of what we portray as me.

 

[PureX]

Your answer is not wrong at all, but it is not the only answer that can be seen. we are in a body, yes, but as the Buddhist often says, the body is not me. it is only a physical manifestation of what we portray as me.

Nevertheless, it requires something of us. Something that we are not "free" to deny. Thus, true freedom is an illusion. The only freedom we humans can experience is relative freedom. Which is why we need to seek the "middle road", rather than the extreme.

 

[Flame]

I have friends that do something close. They are part of the folk punk scene and basically own nothing but their instruments, a few clothes and a 1998 Dodge Ram Van.

 

[Milton Platt]

The big question I asked my self was, do I need this thing in my life to be happy, and the answer i found was, No i do not need objects to be happy

That is true to a point. I used to live in a 2800 square foot two story home with pool and all the other "goodies". I now live in a 1700 square foot two bedroom home which I remodeled to my liking and invested the proceeds of the sale of the former home. I now have ample space around me instead of a postage stamp lot. I have a very large storage shed still packed with stuff I had the other home filled with that I have realized I need to just get rid of. I have been living without all of that stuff for 3 years now.....obviously, it isn't necessary.

 

[Spirit of Light]

That is true to a point. I used to live in a 2800 square foot two story home with pool and all the other "goodies". I now live in a 1700 square foot two bedroom home which I remodeled to my liking and invested the proceeds of the sale of the former home. I now have ample space around me instead of a postage stamp lot. I have a very large storage shed still packed with stuff I had the other home filled with that I have realized I need to just get rid of. I have been living without all of that stuff for 3 years now.....obviously, it isn't necessary.

The place (room) I am in now is 15 square meter or 161 square feet but it is enough

 

[Milton Platt]

The place (room) I am in now is 15 square meter or 161 square feet but it is enough

That would be a bit confining for me, but I am on board with your philosophy.

 

[Riders]

In the moment when I chose to give away or on a few occasion sell my belongings, I realized how good and free it felt. To not be worried about what I have or don't have. Yes, I might borrow a thing or two but if the owner needs it back it's not difficult at all. it's not mine so I can, of course, give it back at any time.

Actually it is a very free feeling of living

Do you have furniture or clothes? You have a computer, right?