In a world brimming with opportunities and abundance, why do so many of us live in fear? Anxiety wraps around our daily lives, fueled by desires we chase and possessions we cling to. We hold onto material things—cars, homes, gadgets, clothes—thinking they complete us, only to discover they often enslave us. What if the problem isn’t the things themselves, but the way we treat them?
Everything is Borrowed
Material things aren’t inherently bad. They provide comfort, convenience, and joy. The danger lies in our attachment to them. We act as though we own them permanently, but ownership is an illusion. Everything we possess—no matter how deeply we treasure it—can be taken away. A car breaks down. A beloved heirloom is lost. Money evaporates. And when that happens, we feel angry, frustrated, even broken.
Why? Because we don’t see these things for what they are: borrowed.
Imagine every possession in your life as something lent to you indefinitely. You didn’t create it. You won’t take it with you when your journey ends. All of it—the phone you’re holding, the shoes on your feet, the roof over your head—is something you’re lucky to have for as long as you do. And when life calls for its return, it’s not a punishment but a natural part of the cycle.
Shifting this perspective liberates us from the weight of anxiety. Instead of fearing loss, we can feel gratitude. Instead of anger when we don’t get what we desire, we can appreciate what we already have. By seeing material things as temporary companions rather than permanent fixtures, we free ourselves to live fully in the moment.
Practice Gratitude
Gratitude transforms our relationship with possessions. It allows us to enjoy them without being consumed by them. It teaches us to embrace the beauty of the now rather than anxiously clinging to what might be gone tomorrow.
Living without fear doesn’t mean living without possessions. It means understanding their place in our lives. When we treat them as gifts—borrowed indefinitely and returned with grace—we find peace. And in that peace, we rediscover life as it was always meant to be: abundant, present, and free.