Friday, April 30, 2010
Gifts Reflecting
I was thinking about Hegel and the notion that the things you own are a reflection of who you are, but what about the things that you own which were gifts? I was recently at a gas station and the guy at the counter asked me which car was mine ( which I found a bit odd considering it was the only car at the pumps)so I told him it was the mustang. At this point he proceeded to ask me about the year and tell me that it was a really cool car. All this got me thinking about the kind of impression I give due to the car that I own. The thing is that I did not choose the car, my Dad gave it to me, and only due to circumstance ( I needed a car, when I moved back and it just happened to be what he had to give ). I do not drive a mustang as a reflection of myself, but as a matter of circumstance, however, since I own it seems to reflection of me, but I own because it was a gift.
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I think that you might have poked a hole in Hegel's claim. Of course, Hegel might argue that those who own property out of convenience rather than preference are not "fully-developed" people. I think, however, that by making human development all about property, that Hegel misses the point. I would argue that every individual's choices, not property, is a reflection of that individual and that is how he is manifests himself in the world. Thus only the property we buy ourselves offers a true reflection of ourselves, and other choices such as what we eat and how we live contribute to our identity as well.
ReplyDeleteUnless, of course, the people who give you things, the sorts of things they give you, or the circumstances that permit you to acquire what you do conveniently, are also reflections of you (albeit indirect ones), both expressing and shaping what you are and are becoming.
ReplyDeletei don't think this is a hole poked in hegel's theory, but rather an exception. freud would have a lot to say about people who buy mustangs, but to be too critical is not to be consistent with reality. knowing your situation says you are the kind of person that puts the need for a ride home over the need to have a car represent your preference or your fulfilled self.
ReplyDeletethe ability to express yourself without prohibition can often come across as a self-affirming expression, but deep down a lot of times it is to cover up an insecurity. many different tattoos accept this in the open (spider webs for instance are a symbol for entrapment). the fad related to the "emo" culture dresses flamboyantly (word choice?) in order to attract people to their style to keep their attention off of the un-dealt-with aspects of their character.
Good point. As my father is fond of pointing out: Wherever you go, there you are. And you're the kind of person who goes there.
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