> and actually able to be somebody.

be who?

I can't tell if this is facetious or not, but be the person that they are. The whole rest of the person besides the obsession. Maybe with some extra freedom and time they can build up their other interests and relationships. Grandfather comment or so said the guys wife was upset with him. Without the piles of tapes he could replace "tape guy" with "happier relationship" and "successfully moved". Literally everything else about the person is who they are. Narrowing a persons whole identity down to a collection of objects is a neurotic and reductive take on personhood, in my opinion

The person who they are is the one who spent the time and effort to collect them.

The collection is a /product/ of that time and effort, not the other way around.

People who didn’t do this are someone else

> The person who they are is the one who spent the time and effort to collect them.

> The collection is a /product/ of that time and effort, not the other way around.

Does the person cease to be if the collection is trashed? Or is the collection just detritus from the process, something that could have been discarded instead of hoarded?

"Always be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."

What makes you think people are burdened by their belongings? I'm not talking about heavy hoarders. Having things and photos are actually good for your soul. You go to a trip for one month, take photos, sometimes rewatching them helps them bring you back the good memories.

Try it, experience it. It's like walking on grass bare footed.

> Having things and photos are actually good for your soul. You go to a trip for one month, take photos, sometimes rewatching them helps them bring you back the good memories.

Is this categorically true? Asking honestly. I’ve thought about it a bit and haven’t come to a firm conclusion. Part of me thinks that human beings are supposed to forget a bit over time. Maybe forgetting is part of helping with mourning and grief, for example.