What is going to happen to our things when we die?

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I've been thinking about this a lot lately. As we get older, we accumulate so many things. We get gifts for our birthday and Christmas each year. We all have pictures, videos, photo albums, clothes, furniture, prized possessions, and so many other things that are important to us that we may not need. I don't plan on having kids so I don't know what is going to happen to my things when I am no longer on this planet. I do have 2 younger sisters and I don't know if they will ever have kids or not. Even if we do have kids or younger people to leave our stuff to when we die, will any of it mean anything to anyone? Will anyone care about our pictures, videos, or prized possessions as the years go by? All of it will be worn out and outdated. We have become a very materialistic society. We desire material things more than life itself. A lot of people have so many things that they don't need. I have a lot of stuff myself that I don't need but I keep it because it has some sentimental value to me. The next one or two generations won't care at all about the things that are important to me. I don't think our ancestors had as many things as we have today. Many young people are choosing not to have kids so I do wonder who is going to handle all of our material possessions when we die?

I worry about that too. I worry about what will happen to my teddy bear after I die. I've had him since I was a baby and he's always been special to me, and has always lived on my bed. I couldn't bear (no pun intended) to leave him all on his own in the world without me to love him and keep him safe.

https://youtu.be/gnZ1STg8UIA

For most of my things, it doesn't really matter. But for the stuff that holds a lot of sentimental value to me, I like the idea of leaving behind a message implying that I'll be watching over them. Even if there is no actual presence, the human mind will do the rest.

Good question and it's a very depressing thought.

All my stuff from my childhood and teen years are gone. I threw it all away when I was going manic and couldn't control myself but I have managed to collect new things over the years. But what will happen to all of it when I die?

I will never have kids and I don't think any of my sibilings would want it. I do have a cute stuff toy: a bulldog I named King Henry that my Mom gave me for Easter a couple of years ago and I would like to give it to my baby neice someday but she has so many stuffed toys she might not even want it.

If I died I like to think my family would hold onto some of my stuff to remember me but I don't own anything of actual value. I think my stuff will either be thrown away or donated.

Family holds onto things they treasure. Things they don't treasure, that mattered only to you to are sold, given away, donated or thrown out.

I figure that the way things are going I won't have to worry because when I die nearly everyone will be dead as well. But it is kind of depressing knowing that my handmade stories and comics and cartoons will never be known buy future generations and it will be like I never created them in the first place.

Even when you have children they just throw your junk out. They despair at the amount of crap that their parents collected and that they now have to bag up and donate or send to the tip.

Last edited by hurtloam on 06 Nov 2018, 2:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I'm not sure it really matters to me what happens.

I wouldn't worry where our treasured belongings go or who gets them after we die. They're just things.

Think about all of us as people. Unless a person is memorably famous (or infamous) on the highest level in relation to humanity (ie starting at recorded human history until the end of time), every single one of us as well as every single famous person except for a few, will be forgotten completely. Congressman? Senators? Celebrities? Even famous ones, will be forgotten centuries from now.

Rhetorical question: What was the last time you thought of your great, great grandparents? Do you even know their names? Have you ever visited their grave sites? How about relatives of yours from 300 years ago?

Rather than be depressed by that, I'm actually comforted. Think of the countless numbers of stars in the universe that will never be "discovered". We're all part of something that's infinitely bigger than ourselves.

have all your belongings buried with you when you die.

I will despair over my best efforts becoming food for worms, but I will take solace in the fact that my best ideas survive in the realm where they were born in the first place.

it is generally the case that you you will not be eaten by worms if you die and are discovered before you have started to rot, and are buried in a sealed coffin.
if there has not been any flies that land on you and lay their eggs, you will not be eaten by maggots because flies can not get to you once you are sealed in a coffin.

you are more likely to mummify if buried in normal circumstances.

i have heard of cases where bodies have been exhumed after 20 years in the ground, and they are examined for tissue samples to establish if they were poisoned if it is suspected in criminal investigations.

you will dry out and remain largely intact for many years after you are buried.

i am going to be incinerated because i can not stand the thought of being in a totally dark and confined space forever more.

and as far as my teddy is concerned, i had a panda teddy and i had it buried with my mother when she died.

They are either going to be thrown away, or given to someone who needs them.

you will decompose even if you are buried quickly, because you internal bacteria will eat you.

It doesn't worry me. I try to get rid of all my old tat on an ongoing basis. If anyone wants to make use of anything then good luck to them. My mother keeps giving me stuff that she considers to be "heirlooms"... I just regard it as junk I can't throw away.

Regarding what happens to me after I die, I'd quite to be dressed in an Elvis Vegas suit and shot out of a cannon into the middle of the Atlantic... seriously... that'd be a hell of a show.

Less seriously, people should be buried with just their bums (butts in the US) sticking out the ground, then people could park their bikes there and provide a useful function after death.