Last night I had a dream that had a brief scene where I was with a friend (Sally E) and we were going to a church sale to look at a huge collection of dolls that had been donated by a parishioner who had recently died. As my friend and I started into the church I began to think about what a sad exercise this was. Something that in life was so precious and sacred to someone and now in death that intrinsic value had disappeared like a mist.
Comfort Objects are what some of it is. A Security Blanket. Psychology Today says, “It's okay to carry that blankie. Children who are both insecurely attached to their mothers and attached to their blankies seem to adjust better to anxiety-producing situations.” Here is a similar article by Melody Thomas, a child care professional. Adults need them too is pointed out in this Live Science article. Oh them transitional objects!
I recall a conversation I had with my best friend Maggie years ago about the oddity of this “Phenomenon Of Collecting”. Now my friend lives a pretty minimalist existence. She has what she needs. Her obsession is reading which she spends a large majority of her free time doing. But as she reads a book she basically passes it along and buys another. Her book shelves are pretty barren of books, especially compared to mine. She does the same with clothes. Now, she does have this penchant for sweaters and has quite a few, but even with that after a while she will go through the closet and give some to the Salvation Army so she can justify looking for new ones.
The conversation with my friend was about whether humans, as it seemed to her, are the only creature who engage in such activity, this need to possess. Well it appears there are plenty but in most cases it is for making nests and most of those nests are for food collecting or laying eggs, not just to hoard stuff like humans. At the bottom of this post are some examples of this behavior. So for the most part it is correct that the ways humans collect is pretty unique. Collecting stuff is one thing but at a certain point it may turn into what is called hoarding which is considered a bad thing for the most part. As far as an environmentalist this hits me hard. Falls into what I don't especially like and which is called #SelectiveEmpathy. Ouch.
The self-storage industry is primarily a United States-based industry. The industry experts often refer to the 4Ds of life (death, divorce, downsizing and dislocation) as the “need” for storing “stuff” Or when two people get together they have duplicate things and rather than just giving it away some still feel the need to store the extra. Maybe in case of the chance the relationship might not work out. As we know that in the USA it is estimated that the lifelong probability of a marriage ending in divorce is 40%-50%. The Story Of Stuff Project (video here) shows us some negative effects of the this need to possess shit. I being a believer that this “stuff” can hold you back from spiritual growth if you are not careful.
According to Buddhist beliefs, attachment (Upādāna) is a major cause of suffering (dukkha) . It is not necessarily evil to possess things. Another spiritual example is when Jesus told his disciples to drop their nets and follow him, to have faith that they should follow after enlightenment and leave the world behind. At this point perhaps another Jesus thing, the saying that “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” would fit in as many mis-translate this as money is evil but forget that it actually specifies it is the “love of” that is evil.
I like the word Ephemera a lot. When coversations turn to the subject of "what is life" I have been known to say "Life is Ephemera." I have done study on how to persevere books and why some, like The Dead Sea Scrolls for example, pretty much lasted a long time. I found that is because rather then paper we once use other materials. We have been using paper for about 2,000 years but before that we used Clay tablets, papyrus, bone, shells, wood and silk. Romans used wax-coated wooden tablets or pugillares upon which they could write and erase by using a stylus. Parchment progressively replaced papyrus which was made using the skins of animals (sheep, cattle, donkey, antelope, etc.), with Vellum being the finest quality of parchment. Way back when it was very expensive to use it. But the church could afford it. The scriptorium was the workroom of monk copyists where books were copied, decorated, rebound, and conserved. Environmentally speaking I am a believer of and a proponent of the fact that there are One Billion Reasons to use Hemp instead of trees. To bad our government doesn't know the difference between hemp and smoking/ingesting types of Cannabis especiallt CBDs. But that is another subject all together.
So back to my original point. It seems sad somewhat that when we die all we have done from the cradle to the grave for most is gone in a flash. Some leave a lasting mark on society and people remember them. But most of us live lives of quiet desperation and real joy seems elusive, the carrot on the stick that compels the donkey forward. Ah, but there goes my nihilistic side. They say to be happy is the point of life. Abraham/Hicks says it's our only job. So I suppose if collecting stuff makes you feel happy then it is a spiritual exercise of it's own if your intent is right like the Buddhist Noble Eightfold Path suggests is it not?
Here is the promised animal stuff.
Some animals don't bother to go hunting for stuff themselves but are Kleptos: Here are some.
My favorite find today was running into the info on the sociable weaver a species of bird who build construct permanent nests on trees and other tall objects. These nests are the largest built by any bird, and are large enough to house over a hundred pairs of birds, containing several generations at a time. These nests are perhaps the most spectacular structure built by any bird.
Some common animals that cache their food are rodents such as hamsters and squirrels, and many different bird species, such as rooks and woodpeckers. The western scrub jay is noted for its particular skill at caching. There are two types of caching behavior: larder-hoarding, where a species creates a few large caches which it often defends, and scatter-hoarding, where a species will create multiple caches, often with each individual food item stored in a unique place. Both types of caching have their advantage.
Bowerbirds
Pack Rat
Nesting
Beaver dams provide ponds as protection against predators such as coyotes, wolves, and bears, and to provide easy access to food during winter. These structures modify the natural environment in such a way that the overall ecosystem builds upon the change, making beavers a keystone species. Beavers work at night and are prolific builders, carrying mud and stones with their fore-paws and timber between their teeth. Beavers can rebuild primary dams overnight, though they may not defend secondary dams as vigorously.
Other mammals collect stuff to build nest. Gorillas build fresh nests daily out of leaves and other vegetation. Amphibians like frogs and some fish build temporary nests to lay their eggs in. Cobras use leaves and other debris to build nests in which they lay eggs that both sexes guard. Sea turtles dig a hole in the sand above the high tide line in which they lay their eggs, but then they leave it all behind. Social insects, including most species of ants, bees, termites, and wasps, are nest builders.
Be well and “May your Dukkha be as small as Nanobes.” - #Ketherism
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