The Extended Self

In class we have been talking a lot about the extended self. This being that possessions, events, etc can become a part of who you are as an individual. This can be things like your car, house, favorite stuffed animal, when you got your first ___ (fill in the blank). This talk has gone into how when people loose the items that are a part of their extended selves they often report feeling violated, even as though they have been raped. It is intriguing to me how possessions can become so much a part of who we are that we loose a sense of self if we lose those things.

I have several friends who have encountered loss during this year. Things from house fires to car fires to theft. It has been interesting to talk to these people after these events happened and see how they truly do experience a deep sense of loss. One friend who was in one of these situations looked lost and confused and had a hard time making sense of things right after the event occurred.

This has had me thinking about what I would save if my house or Michael's house were burning down. I found that I was drawn first to keepsakes, then to things of great value, and then to other smaller things. For class we had to write a love story about an object that we own that we would run into a burning building to save. This made me think about this even deeper. My list was made as if I was in the house when it started on fire, but what if I arrived and it was on fire already, is there anything that I own that I would risk my life to save from a fire. We weren't allowed to write about people or computers, so the things that would really tempt me were out. I thought of two possessions.

The first is a pen that Brother Ray hand crafted for me when I graduated from High School. This is my only physical reminder of one of the greatest mentors I have ever had. It means so much to me and I treasure this pen.

The second is a painting that a dear friend of mine in Texas painted for me. It is based off of a dream that I had while in Bible school. It is a picture of a girl caught up in the storms of life and then the Lord reaching down his hand to save her and pull her up out of the storms. This dream really stood out to me when I had it and I wanted to have a visual picture of it so that I would always remember that no matter what is going on in my life I can always turn to the Lord and He will be there to help me.

This is an image of it from before it was completely finished.

It was really interesting to hear what other people in class wrote about. It was fun to hear what things people attach themselves to. What about you? What would you save?