We are all collectors in some ways. We are all collecting something. Some are tangible, like postage stamps and old coins, ie things that we can actually touch and feel; while others are intangible, things which cannot be seen, but can only be perceived through our senses. The second category of collecting intangible things is much harder to define, for example, some of us enjoy travelling to different places, then all those experiences of being in new and different places become the things being collected. And, of course, one can have photographs and souvenirs from their trips to help them remembering, but the most important things collected from those trips are the actual memories or experiences.
Why do we collect things? The psycho-analysis would always have us believed, through collecting, we can fill the void or emptiness within ourselves. And through the process of getting things, we can make ourselves feel better. The things we collected become the value for our existence. It may reflect a lack of love and affection in our childhood! While this can be true, I do find this explanation of why we are collecting somewhat limiting. We can be collecting things simply because we like them. And why not? There are so many lovely and beautiful things around us, so it would only make sense if we can collect something we can 'afford' to enjoy.
Collecting what we can afford is important. It means, we can only go so far as to collect the things we like. We have to be able to afford the cost of collecting. The cost comes in different areas of finance and the actual housing of our collections. The fact is, even if we can pay for our collections, we will, sooner or later, running out of space to put all our collections. I know, you can rent lockers and different storage facilities to house your extended collections. I have known people who have collected so much toys and figures, that they have to buy houses just to keep their collections! I think that is a bit too much! If you have so much in your collection, you would never find the time to appreciate them. Overtime, those collections will be almost completely forgotten. The solution to 'sound' collecting, is therefore, only collect to the extent which we can still have time to look at and enjoy the individual items in our collection. Thus, the key to 'sound' collecting is the ability to pick and choose the only 'few' items that are truly worthy to be added to the collection.
We are all collectors of experiences and memories. As I have mentioned before, travellers 'collect' travelling experiences. For many others, they 'collect' memories of love. Many people find themselves in and out of love all so frequently. They may be trying to 'collect' as many memories and experiences of love as they possibly can. They would brag to their friends, about the number of people they had in their 'love collection'. They are not really in love, but merely in love with the experiences of being in love! For all those few romantic love experiences I have in my life, I do put them in my 'memory collection', and I treasure them dearly. We all have a photo album of some sort, which served to remind us of all the different memories we have 'collected'. In reality, either consciously or subconsciously, we are all collectors of various experiences and memories of things happened in our lives.
Collecting is an unavoidable part of our existence. It is the extent to which we collect determine the validity of our behaviour. Collecting makes us feel good. This is the part of our life that can be controlled. It is like some people would go shopping for clothes and shoes they do not need. The actual satisfaction derives from the collecting and owning of the items, not from the usage of them. Thus, those people would end up with closets of clothes and shoes they would never wear! It is easier to focus on something more concrete, when we are facing all the uncertainty in life. We can constantly buy, and own more and more things. At what point do we stop and realize that collecting and owning things does not bring upon happiness? The action of mindless and endless collecting, either tangible or intangible, may eventually become a burden in our lives. We should seek to fiind happiness in the actual experiences itself, and not through the means of mere collecting. There is nothing wrong with collecting, but you don't have to own it in order to appreciate it. It would make you feel lighter when you can just enjoy all the beautiful things and people around you, without the burden of wanting to own or possess them.
