Ownership And Self And Identity

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Ownership and self (identity) are commonly joined together under one thought: ownership can very well define a person’s identity. I believe that is to be true. It is possible to own something physically whether that is a phone, a computer, a car etc., or something that simply exists within our minds such as a thought (idea), a concept or whatever it may be. However, “To own” – a verb – doesn’t necessarily mean to own or have something, it also means to know something or that it is a part of you or “admit or acknowledge that something is the case or that one feels a certain way”- Google. Affluential philosophers have argued the various ways of how to express ownership and possession that shows its universality on this well rounded topic. It’s claimed that it builds up moral character and denounced by its undesirable and detrimental effects – good or evil. It is, in fact, that ownership and its intricacy builds both and individual self-comprehension and group- identity.

What comes to mind when some asks you, “What do you think ownership and identity mean? How are they related”? You like to think about a possession of some physical item, right? Let’s travel on the undesirable side of the deep-rooted topic. When I think of ownership and self/identity, I think of a talent or skill. Musicians work well with this side of the spectrum. Musicians, pianists, like me, who have had intense classical training and consider themselves to be greater than anyone they know, run into undesirable arrogance and pretentiousness. I’ve found myself in various confrontations with fellow musicians upset with me because “I think I’m better than them”. To be frank, I get the idea in my head that I’m gifted on an instrument like no other, and I “own” that ...

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...e intricacies of life.

As is manifested through historical and modern day instances, both group-identity and sense of self can be enhanced through ownership. Having possession of some physical or mental thing can have a profound physiological effect on a person which seems irrational to say. But think about it: humans have evolved tremendously and have contributed to the making of this great world from nothing. From the renaissance period to the different industrial revolutions, humans have shaped the world. Coming from nothing to something really does shape the way humans process things. As we grow and develop our minds we being having connections to animate objects and augmenting ourselves through attaching to other things. If nothing else, our thoughts and languages must show it through this – difficulties enticing the indistinct complexity of the perception.

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