What gives something value? Is it a high price tag? Is it demand? Or is it something more?
People give things value. It's never quite the object itself, but the thing that the object represents, or the sentiment behind it that really makes an item valuable to us.
The simplest thing can have high value to a person. I may think a seashell is the most valuable thing in the world, if it was given to me by a dear friend who is no longer with me. That seashell represents the bond between that person and I, regardless of the fact that is one of millions, and if it were still sitting on the beach it would likely mean nothing.
Perhaps I think a BMW has value. Not for the high price tag, but for the thing it represents. That I have "made it" in life and I have proof. That I am able to have luxuries if I want them.
I have become more sentimental in recent years, and sometimes think my life was easier before I developed my sense of sentimentality.
When I was young we didn't have much. We moved a lot, and I was forced to live a life where you didn't attach yourself to things. This included items, homes, neighborhoods, and friends. I developed a thick skin so that when these things went away (which the inevitably did) it would hurt less.
I also had a few items that I was able to carry with me, even as my life changed, and I developed such sentiment for those that I truly believe my heart might have stopped had they ever been taken from me.
This imbalance between creating zero attachment, and fierce attachment has become less as the years have gone on. Now that I'm an adult, and I'm living my own life. Now that things are more stable. But, this has also meant that I have learned to be more sentimental about things in general.
Today, I am sentimental about places, and things and people. Photographs and the shirt I wore on the night of my first date with someone, or the wrapping paper I used to wrap his gift on our first Christmas together. I look at these items and I have the memories, and I feel sentimental.
But I have to ask myself why.
These are only objects.
And I give them value because I care for the person I associate them. But truly, I am either holding on to something that has been lost, trying to find it again in an object, which only leads to my own suffering, or I am pouring attachment and sentiment into objects instead of into people, which just doesn't seem right to me.
I've always been a reflective person. Quiet. Thoughtful. I've always looked at the things around me, and tried to really consider how important they were. But perhaps I've developed into a person who makes things more important than they truly are; and by allowing my memories to reside in objects I displace my sentiments and give things value that truly have none.
What gives something value? It's up to you. We can convince ourselves of anything if we try hard enough. We can feel attachment or sentiment for anything if we choose to. We can also choose not to care so much. Not to place value in things. But to value feelings and experiences.
People.
About Me
- Stara
- I'm Tara. I hail from "The Mouth", good old Plymouth, Massachusetts. I have always loved to write, and talk, and experience people and things in new ways. These days, I am using my writing skills not only to tell my own stories and experiences, but to reflect on some other things I love, like fashion, vintage jewelry, and art. I think accessories make the outfit and are the key to true style! I challenge anyone who doesn't like to talk to find their way out of talking to me. I could talk the paint off a wall, I'd bet. I enjoy meeting new people and love checking them out! Guys, gals, and these days, even pets often have their own sense of style, and personality and sense of style are the cornerstones of what I think about a good portion of the time. Food and drink take up the rest. Especially wine and cheese, and no, I'm not talking whine.
Your eloquence makes for a pleasurable read and your ideas are truly thought provoking. Value is as one would say in the "eye of the beholder" which is why as you eluded to sentimental items sometimes feel more valuable to the individual rather than an object that represents a certain level of status within our overall culture. Individual value is truly powerful and is the reason why as hard as my wife tries to convince me that it is just clutter I remain steadfast in my refusal to discard the first toy I have memories of. Even if said toy is an old beat up wooden horse the fact of the matter is that it is more than an old piece of wood and cloth it represents a time of carefree joy. One can put a price on just about anything especially in a capitalist society such as ours but there is one thing that will never give in to greed and corruption and that is wonderful memories of days gone by and therein lies the ultimate value.
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