thought experiments

these days when i'm not reading, i conduct thought experiments that help me do a sanity check on my consumeristic existence, my unneeded attachments/dependencies, and the connection between thought and action - in some sense. on several occasions during the day, i try to think deeply about the material (and some not-so-material) possessions i am surrounded by, and the extent to which i depend on them. if they suddenly disappeared, this minute, how would i feel? i know that i would survive, because that is the way of man and his very fundamental survival instinct, but how affected would i be? every time i detect a seed of disturbance within, i work on myself - take care of this seed (much the same way tnh proposes - like a mother tending to a sick child) until it is resolved in one way or another. naturally, this process is harder with some things than with some others. some things i still struggle with....