There is nothing that the soul can possess. Perhaps more interesting—there is nothing that even the body can possess. This pursuit of “getting” is a phantom and an impossibility from the start.

What can the body receive other than visions, sounds, food and water? The body is not designed to “have” anything because there is nowhere inside of us to put it or keep it. The body can receive only that which is experienced in the now. Sensory perception is the full extent of our capacity to get, receive, possess.

Life is sensory perception—a state of being, not having. Any illusion of having requires external protection of something that forever remains external to us. Property must be locked-up and is never entirely secure. Money must be stored somewhere, and its value is unstable. Status, success, physical appearances—all completely unstable and impermanent. We never possess a single thing—not even on the level of the body and not even for a day.

It is untrue that having more makes us happier. Everything we attempt to have requires some degree of effort, sacrifice or struggle. Large houses must be cleaned. Cars must be safely parked somewhere. New clothes must be stored. Gadgets unpackaged. Career or status requires great sacrifice.

Even “having children” or “having a spouse” can cause worry, struggle, and frustration if you believe that it is possible to “have” another person. This is jealousy. To end the feeling of jealousy, know only that having is impossible.

This pursuit of having, this chasing of an eternally-elusive phantom, is the root of our worldly frustration. Minimalism is not a sacrifice—it is the only possibility of happiness. Anything that exists in our life situation on the level of external form is only valuable to the extent that it enhances our state of being.

Go even deeper and realize that you are not body; rather soul. It is impossible for the body to possess—and you do not possess your body. We exist, together, in the eternal present moment on the level of the soul. We continue tomorrow and each day after that.