Happily Without.

A lot is spent identifying ourselves by the music we listen to, the clothes we wear, the schools we attend and so on. But I wonder to myself, who am I without all that? Without a car, without a CD collection, without the movies I've seen, or the books I've read, or the facts and figures I know.... Who am I? I'm not blank without all that stuff, I know that. But I am poorly defined.

So now I'm thinking, no one can really be an individual without belonging to some group. The differences you cast for yourself in a group bring focus to who you want to be. And the differences the group casts for you bring focus to who they want you to be. Stripping away the music, the books, the movies, the clubs, the sports, the hobbies, and the clothes, one is still left with a human being.

It's a fascinating thing to contemplate: that by removing yourself from what defines you, your individual existence is almost put on pause, and all that remains is just one of many human beings without any dimension. In a large way, it allows you to step into the whole world, instead of just your small part of it.

Lately, I find myself happily going without my watch, without any necklace, even without my cell phone or wallet. Just the clothes on my back and the thoughts in my head. And a curious thing happens.

I start to give myself dimension outside of any system of categorization. The mentality of belonging to this or that fades and I'm left with an ever sharpening image of who I am. And the best part is, it really cannot be put into words.