The abudance of his possessions

Back in February 2001 London 'conceptual' artist Micheal Landy decided to create a piece of art work which he called 'Breakdown'. The work was to be based on the destruction of everything that the artist possessed! He decided to shred and granulate all his earthly possessions in what he called ' an examination of society's romance with consumerism'. He was to exhibit the finished product in a disused department store on Londons Oxford street. Now Mr Landy wasn't making a token gesture, when he said everything thats just what he meant. From his Saab car right down to his last odd sock and including his record collection, his kitchen appliances, his valuable art collection and his personal things like family photos etc. In all he destroyed 7,227 listed and labelled objects with the help of 10 assistants. Afterwards the rendered material was put on display. They said that all he had left in the end was his girlfriend and his cat called 'rats'. Many might think he was completely 'barking', it certainly was a very radical thing to do even in the name of Modern Art. Mr Landy said: ' its about the am mount of raw material that goes into making objects and about the lifespan of things. But the title also reflects the emotional breakdown' the artist added. At a press viewing of the finished work Landy was asked how he felt as the deconstruction of his possessions took place. Its 'the happiest day of my life' he said and added that it is not an attack on consumerism but a consumer experiment in identity to find out what it felt like and to find out how much of his life depended on what he used and what he owned.
While not being the greatest fan of conceptual art, this experiment got me thinking about a verse in the Bible. Jesus said in Luke 12v15: '.. a mans life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions' Landys experiment almost proves the scripture true when he basically said that getting rid of all his possessions was the happiest day of his life. In truth getting rid of all his earthly goods was the defining moment in his life. Although known for his work before and after 'Breakdown', this was the work that he is still best known for. So why do we continue to be driven by rampant consumerism? Why do we still judge a man by the things he has? Why is success seen in terms of goods and prosperity? Why do we think and act in direct opposition to Word of God and the warnings of Jesus? covetousness is the main reason. maybe we can learn a good lesson from Micheal Landy. If he can shed the weight of worldly possessions in the name of Modern Art then as Christians cant we do the same in the name of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords?