Vainglory Stuff

How can you be what you own? You know - "I am what you see, this is me I have made it" Not possible right, how can it be. I know this guy. He WAS worth millions... stacks of cash. He drove a top of the range cars of almost every kind. He had the very best Rolex watch. He wore hand stitched shoes paid for in the thousands. His suits were hand made by the finest tailors of the finest type. Everybody knew who he was. He was the guy that had done really well for himself, the guy with everything and a brand new spanking Rolls Royce Phantom to match! When he walked out heads nodded ... he was THE MAN! With the good stuff, the great stuff, the best stuff, the kind of stuff only money could buy! But the problem was he believed he was that stuff. That stuff symbolized HIM. And when the stuff vanishes ... he is no longer who he thinks he was. So how can anyone be possessions? We are birthed and delivered into a world that has taught us that collecting things is everything. Yet when it goes and if we have built our lives around it ... we are no longer the person we think we were. So that raises a question. Who really are you? Do you know? Because if the stuff that you had wrapped around you and your life vanishes the fact is, you remain. When I say you remain... your flesh and blood, your skin, your body remains. So who are you? I met a young man the other day I worked with just a few years ago. He told me how much he wanted a BMW M3... nice machine. He got one to go with his flash youth. When I saw him the other day, 3 years later his first question to me was... "what are you driving?" I replied "still my orange VW" His jaw nearly dropped. He said, "really in an almost puzzled stare?" And then went on to tell me I could look at his new Aston Martin outside later if I wanted to. I did to humor him. Yet when this stuff vanishes who does he become? Of course people like this want to be significant in their lives. They want the praise e or adoration that the trappings of success bring. That;'s fine, I am not saying they are wrong. However I am saying they are not the stuff that wraps them. That isn't possible. That is just their inner ego lying and deceiving them. And if that's the case may I ask... "Who are you?" Do you know who you are? Is your inner ego lying to you? Is it lying to me? You know the guy at the top of this page who thought he was that stuff. The downturn is here. His stuff has gone. He is now a broken man. He has chest pains. He has sleepless nights. He looks like crap and a good candidate for a heart attack. Why? Because his stuff has gone, he believes he has gone also. Yet he has two gorgeous kids. A stunning wife and is young enough to recover. Yet he doesn't see that. He has told me to my face. He feels his life has ended. But the reality is... He has just lost his stuff. Meaningless, hapless, rusting junk. Don't get me wrong, we are our own people but hey lets be honest here, it's a question worth raising. Even I have stuff! Who really are you. You cannot be what you surround yourself with. You cannot be junk. It's not who you are. You can only become who who want to be once you let go of the stuff! If it is, once the stuff vanishes ...so do you! Who are you? I'd love to know what you think about this post. Good, bad or down right crap! Tell me as it is. Remember I get stacks of traffic here so leave your URL so I can share some with you. You can also link this page back with my full permission for your own content as long as all links remain. Alan