Many times we ask question about what possession is? First of all, as any other topic, my favorite experiment is to make association game with this word. What I imagine is synonyms and near to “possession”. So close your eyes and open your mind:
Possession: property, material, goods, physical value, touchable, commerce, any value, price tag, belonging, achievement, institution, absolute, altruism, selfishness, money, restrictions, conquest, battle, self-expression, freedom, material energy, influence, jealousy, competition.
I think this example of the mind flow is sufficient for my purpose. Now I would like to concentrate on each word, in order to explain what is possession, and how it exists. Without any organized order, I took the first word:
1. Property: it is a material thing, good, product mainly, which you possess. From philosophical point of view its believed that it`s hard in this world we to “possess” something, and it is much arguable “how” we have the material elements. What do you think can be your property? Usually people connect this word with material things as: a land, a house, a plant, a watch, money, books, shoes, clothes…and so on anything which is tradable. This is fine…but what about non-material things, which belong to spirit? Like: love, hope, vitality, trust, energy…We can also possess that things, or have them? (even their possession is invisible). Moreover something I want to underline here directly: not only we can possess them, but they are in fact the only “things” on which we could claim possession! I continue with another word.
2. material: although we can possess only non-material “objects”, we still think we possess the material objects. Examples are multiples and without and end; we still believe that after we are born, everything which is given to us Or taken from us in any way (+ the way of commerce) is totally “belonging” to us. Even all the facts of life make this to be disapproved in seconds. We claim that we have/ possess our clothes, our house, flat, car, food, money, even we think we possess other human beings! Like our parents, our children, our spouse, wife, husband, and so on. This so called possession is just an illusion, and we shouldn’t act that this is all we have, as this turn to be the biggest mistake for life. To begin with " well known truth is any kind of material on earth has beginning and an end, including the vulnerable human body (how then it could be possessed?) or we could say we possess it just for a period of time, ok…but do we have control over this period? The answer is NO. So we simply cant claim possession on any material thing, if we cant control its life, duration and so on. Our clothes are on us, and we are using them, but we don’t have them. They could be so easily stolen, burnt, destroyed, just for seconds, even from independent factors, which are beyond our control. Our house, flat, car, food, money…could be too stolen, burnt, disappear, destroyed. So to make connection: everything which is in category of “goods”, has only physical value, is touchable, has a “price” tag, and its object of “commerce” could be called from humans “possession” but in fact it is not.
What about the human body? One very important question and issue! Another human being is impossible to “belong” to us, as we don’t belong to our parents, to our relatives, or children don’t belong to us. If that was so, can I make my mother and father to live forever? Can I make the illnesses to go away from my children and babies, or anyone else? No. What we can say, there is no connection and function of “possession” here, but there is connection of “responsibilities” “duties”, “inner values”. So that words are surely not touchable. This is the real meaning of belonging. Our own body belong to us? No. it is the same as bodies/ or essence of others. I can say my body is given to me as a gift (as in my text “The sacred body”) so I have special obligations and I`m always responsible for that body. That include all kind of physical and psychological harming, destruction and degradation, which I can cause to myself. I`m responsible only for what was “given” to me. And that’s my own body and my soul, and I have limited of course, responsibility on the human beings closest to me (and to any human beings in another aspect!). No by chance in the Bible the first commandment of God are given to ancient people, are connected with that relation of high human values and respect to others, to not harm others, and their lives. Because no one belongs to you…and you yourself belong to God (Allah, Jehowa…) and that is the truth in all religion. This is not by chance. Everything has its deep meaning. But here I want to be strict to the topic of possession.
3. Institution: this is a special kind of socially created organism, which is made in order to control and make restrictions for human beings, to help them and make a good system organization in culture and society. Now everyone could name at least 3 institutions, which are very connected with our life, and even with death. That’s because of the need all society to be functional and prepared to help us! But is it always so? I could say, too many institutions are totally not functional nowadays, even more: in some special kind of societies they are made to harm and destruct individuals, to be based on complications, to be a labyrinth of misleading rules, which couldn’t recognize even themselves! About what organization and help we talk? Better to remember the works of Fr. Kafka and specially “The Process” to imagine all that in tragic light. So all that “institutions” which are so actively possessing the social life of everyone, are connected with other words: altruism, selfishness, money, restrictions. One very simple example: about birth giving. A friend of mine recently had a baby, so she had to go to municipality, where to request the “birth certificate” of that baby. That sounds too easy to make! What so much with one certificate? Yes, but that institutions, don’t just “give that paper”, they need first a proves about what number is that baby- first or second, and all kind of details about it, and then they just start to write a protoquol from which they will take more time (maybe month) to issue a document with birth date. And that was the easiest part. My friend had to go to many other institutions and to provide them more documents, in order to get the “monthly money help” provided for the baby from government. And she said, if she don’t know about that, so they wouldn’t give her anything! How is that institution working? And if we are really choosing it to work “for our favor”? that is a basic question.
So, I can make conclusion , institutions are made by the “country”, elite, the higher society, to make control on the people, and the whole society, (and notice well!) but this “control” finally failed to be functional! Why then we don’t stop it? You can easily answer that question. All institutions use actually the humans as “belonging” to them individuals, and they are in a connection of “possession”, but as I said before, this kind of possession is illusionary and fake. If individuals only wished to, they could (even after long time fight) go out of that fake possession, and be free. But here comes another basic problem…About the stage of mind, energy and spirituality, and about the “human values”. Not everyone ,who is freed from one kind of possession, wouldn’t go easily to “another”. Not everyone who escapes from one prison , would be really free, and turn not into criminal. So I can claim here, that the social connection of fake possessions, the who system and degradation of human values, make people to be actual “prisoners” of themselves. They even cant perceive that, what about to act against it?
4). Conquest, battle: all the history of human being is actually based on that terms : conquest, battle, self-expression. What is that mean? Since the beginning of humanity, which is even not well discovered, the human tried to conquer all what`s on his way. To begin with nature, land, earth, other tribes, other territories, animals, natural food…When he tries to conquer it, he is in endless battle” with the nature resources, battle with other tribes, or societies, battle with his own tribes…and finally do we agree about the result of all that battles? Can the human claim now he “possesses” this and this land, country, territory and how? No, again this is an illusion of possession, and it`s obvious. Here it comes the reason: the human being is highly narcissistic, highly selfish and altruistic being. No animal on the planet can compare with it. We believe not only that all planet belong to us, and we are the highest mindful creatures here, but we even believed until recently (and still) that we are the only “creatures with mind” on the whole universe! And there is no one like us! What more to be said. We believe that all the place we are given, is our actual “possession”, and all things we are given “belong to us” unconditionally! That mind didn’t change still, even its very obvious, we cant have control even on simple things around, like natural power.
Finally the scientists start to admit how weak and vulnerable is human being and how full of illusions. From illusion of “possession” and belonging comes one of the most dangerous illusions, which will be cause of the earth destruction, and this is the illusion for “power”. Human being took the position of real God and creator, and we think all is without consequences. Just see some of the main destruction we cause to us: destroying the forests and all natural population, burning large territories of the forests, destroying and murdering animals, which is unprecedented, and finally above all " destroying our human values. (in another text I will write about how we really cant use our own energy and mind).
The conclusion: we are really weak, helpless individuals, who are trying always to make “possessions” from objects and things, which are out of their control, and which have “physical” appearance. We didn’t and cant go out of the primitive stage of “material energy”, connected with conquest, battle and greed, so to go to the higher stage of mind. Actually we are using the very plenty resources of the devil, or underground, than to use the higher energy given from God. (specially the so called and precious black gold, petrol). We are trying to dominate on each other, spread killing and abuse, with the label “human”, spreading atrocities and destruction everywhere. Finally that is what we “possess”.
5) self-expression, freedom, achievement.
The highest possession we have is inside of us. We have our energy, soul and spirit, and no doubt about that. We not only “possess” that but that’s all what we really have. Means turn attention to it! If we want to be free, there is no other freedom than this. We never could be absolutely free within the limited human body, which has illnesses, defects, age and death. The body belongs to us why? In order we to express ourselves in the material world, to achieve result and communicate with others. In order to take care of it in the best possible way, in the conditions we are given! The body is like precious box, it Not given for purpose of being killed, humiliated, destroyed, tortured, harmed, beaten, used….it is not given also for purpose for endless joy and sexual pleasure, simply because its vulnerable and “limited” and far away from cleanness and perfection! Body is like kind of special tomb for the soul, our essence. Just that really belong to us. What we need to do? To attempt every day to achieve higher stage of mind (in many ways given), to be clean inside and outside, to be honest, to not be afraid, to make our human values our principle to act in life, to exercise daily our inner energy, mind and body (through meditation and trainings), to achieve knowledge on different level. Only in this way we could be near to freedom, and express ourselves in a good way, so others can follow us. We have to remember:
-- to not rely on anything material! (money, institution, power, other human being)
-- to not have illusion that we posses anything material.
-- to take care always about our A. thoughts B. intentions C. actions
-- to never allow harming other human, or creature in any way: with speech or physically.
(** just want to add here, if we don’t harm others, but allow that to happen, and being witness of that we do not react, we are also under the spiritual level!)
-- to have spiritual goals every day of life, and try to achieve them.
-- to not judge the actions of others, there is others who have this task.
That are the ways of real spiritual achievement, and all what we can do. Remember, very little part of humanity has the high knowledge about the truth of this planet, beginning and purpose of creation. This knowledge is still far away from us. But also “knowledge” is something we can “possess”, and exactly this will lead us to the light.
There are some powers, including the so called “political” world powers, who are fighting to control the large part of humans. They wont succeed, but surely they are too dangerous and can destroy much of the planet (as it happened so many times with atom bomb, genocide and gendercide. We need to stop that wars, if we don’t want to be part of them! This all is based on fight for influence, competition and greed…for possession.
I hope with that short essay I made you think.
© nia nour
...July 014
