[brian1961]

I understand. I've been a collector most of my life. For me, without God's help, it can turn into a compulsion. The mind can always seem to find a "logical" reason to pursue a collectible that has struck your fancy. If left unchecked, the mind will create an illusion that the said collectible must not be lost to another! You can get so worked up about it, and believe your collection would be so inferior without buying the object.

The insidious part is that ONCE YOU BUY IT, the feelings of elation almost immediately vaporize, and you're left with an unspeakable emptiness. The cure, so to speak?

Begin looking for something else.

As I said, I understand, but with that, as Leon Luckey aptly surmised, "That takes it to a new level." I'm sure it has hit him as a ton of bricks what he has lost. Hopefully, his family will forgive him and stand with him. Yes, he needs to get some counseling. However, right now he has to pay back a lot of money, and find a job unlike what he was doing. At 44, this will not be easy.

He'll probably need to sell some of the things he collected, but with what's happened to him, he may not want to look at them any more, or at least not for a long time.

This is a sad case, and one in which we should all look at closely, AS WELL AS LOOK AT OURSELVES. I know I sure am.

I will qualify one thing. There are many things I've purchased / won at auction for which my elation lasted long after I got the item in the mail. If one of those things comes to mind, I get all excited again. THAT'S WHEN i KNOW I REALLY WANTED THE ITEM IN A POWERFUL WAY, AND HAVE NO REGRETS. You just gotta be sure before you buy or fight for an item in an auction. Nevertheless, again, this is a very sad case, and illustrates in a horrifying way what can happen if you allow your possessions, or "gotta have it desirables", possess you. --- Brian Powell