A few months ago, the group started talking about my dad. My dad was a good person. He was the kind of guy who touched the hearts of those he interacted with. So, this was talked about in the group. That didn’t surprise me much.
What surprised me was when my cousins started talking about my dad’s black slick Mercedes Benz, and how it inspired them. My family is not the type to go on and on about material things.
Moreover, the two cousins who spoke the most about the Mercedes Benz are not flashy, are both PhD graduates and are down to earth. My dad was also not a flashy person either, and preached relentlessly about humility, yet bought a very flashy car.
What’s up with that?
According to psychologists Todd M. Thrash and Andrew J. Elliot, ‘’The heights of human motivation spring from the beauty and goodness that precede us and awaken us to better possibilities’’.
…. the beauty and goodness that precede us and awaken us …
I suppose we all have different definitions of what constitutes beauty and goodness in people. Having a visible symbol that represents this may make the ‘awakening’ more powerful. It may intensify the inspiration. A symbol for the beauty and goodness of the person.
Symbols have been used throughout history to relay important cultural values to future generations. In the case of my dad, his beautiful soul and hardworking nature may have been symbolized by the beautiful car he was driving. As a result, this integration and wholistic nature of the situation inspired those around him.
Had he been a not-so-good person with a Mercedes, I would argue that those around him may have experienced something similar to cognitive dissonance (when the mind gets confused due to the conflicting nature of the situation) as opposed to inspiration.
You see, beauty also has an ability to sustain us. It makes us feel good, uplifts our spirits and energizes us. I remember once my dad came home feeling very pleased about himself. He told me about how, that morning, the traffic police thought that he was part of the presidential motorcade that was passing by.
The police let him drive past along with the real presidential motorcade. He appeared quite satisfied, especially because he got to his office earlier than usual and got on with his work, lol.
I wrote this article because I’ve come across various arguments against indulging in beautiful material things. I also know of some wonderful people who also like beautiful material possessions, but often feel judged, or feel a need to justify that they deserve to like and own what they own.
I say, go forth and enjoy your possessions! Just be mindful of the integration between who you are and what you have. Your beautiful possessions can be an enhancement of who you are. Then you can soak in, and feel the beauty of, the integration.
