When Prized Possessions Gain Immortality By: Sudhamahi Regunathan Jan 06, 2022, 16:04 IST One of the side effects of the pandemic has been that every one, at some time or other, has ‘cleaned’ their house. Looking at all the stuff they have collected they have asked almost innocently, ‘How did we manage to collect so much?’ Suitcases and cupboards full of clothes and other things that one had not even seen for the past few years but could still not be thrown away. “Our desire to possess says a lot about us,” says psychologist Bruce Hood. “We own so many things that often the garage is full of stuff while the car is standing in the driveway.” Author of ‘Possessed’, a book about possession and the madness to do so, Hood says in an interview, “There is a little demon inside us that is compelling us to go for more and more things. Our need to have more than we actually require is born out of a desire to control.” It is true that when a child goes to the park with a ball of his own, he becomes the leader to those who have not brought their playing balls. So this desire for the power of control is born rather young. And then we have memories attached to that ball…the first one my daughter played with or the one with which I won a game and so on. We never throw it away. Does our self-esteem come from these past glories that we need to preserve them all? Does our sense of identity suck in these material objects too? In the ‘Valmiki Ramayan’, Ram and Sita were preparing to go to the forest on their fourteen-year exile and the first thing that Ram told Sita was, “Now that you have decided to come with me, give away all your belongings.” She began distributing all her jewellery instantly. Ram instructed Lakshman to collect all his possessions. They made a pretty pile with so much glitter and dazzle. Ram then began distributing them, carefully and with affection. Ram and Sita gave away not only their jewellery but also the livestock in their care, even their furniture. They looked for the right person for their things. To the young disciples of sages, Ram said enough should be given so that they could pay their guru’s fees and would still be able to get married and manage a life thereafter. He gave to those who would be looking after his mother in his absence. He gave to young women who did not have adequate support and so on. A man called Trijata was very poor and could not feed his family. He came to meet Ram. His wife had suggested he go ask Ram for she had heard he was distributing his wealth. Ram zested with him by giving him a stick and saying that he would get as many cattle as would fall within the area where his stick fell. Trijata did cover quite a distance, but Ram gave him even more than what fell within that mark. There have always been many a Trijata around us, would we honour and give a longer life to our precious belongings, if we gave them away with joy in our hearts.