Ownership pt1

As you probably know by now, I have some pretty unconventional ways of getting things done. My thoughts and actions tend to fly in the face of tradition. My intention is not to hurt anyone's feelings or to make anyone angry. I simply believe that a person should do things in a way that both works and makes sense. And when I look out at the world  I see a great many things that do neither.

Today's topic is probably going to make some of you mad, confuse you, or cause some disagreement. Again that is not my intent, but what is, is.

There is a saying that goes we don't inherit the earth from our fathers, we borrow it from our children. If that is the case then we do not own the land that we live on. We merely guard and take care of it for those who live on it after we do.

It is the concept of ownership that I do not agree with, nor really understand. We have a labeling system in our home for groceries and things like that. A person will put their name on something to indicate that they bought it and that others should not use it.

Although I have made the point several times, others do not seem to understand that I do not mind if they use the items with my name on them. The only reason I put my name on something is because I want someone else to replace that item if they happen to destroy it or use it all up. And that is only due to the fact that I have only a limited quantity of funds to replace said items. If my income was greater, I wouldn't bother to write my name on these things because I could just easily replace them.

The only reason that I do not freely give access to all of my things to other people is fear of loss. I do not want the amount of things to which I have access to decrease. I want to know that a thing that I have purchased will be there for my use when I want it. It is not because I feel any more right to a thing than anyone else. And if a person can show through their way of being that they are willing and able to replace anything that I have purchased that gets damaged or destroyed while they are using it, then that thing is communal property in my eyes.

People place such great emphasis on the things that they have managed to scrape together in this life. They say see my house isn't it grand? My spouse is attractive don't you think? See our new boat/car/record collection/books/whatever it is that people are proud of having?

But the fact of the matter is that you can't take it with you when you die. You come into this world with nothing and you bring nothing with you when you leave it. 

What happens to all those things when you die? Your spouse decides that the house is too big to live alone in so they most likely sell it and move on with their lives. Over time, all the things you collected during your life time get either sold, destroyed or given away to other people.

At best, when you purchase a thing, you are really not obtaining ownership of it. You are renting it and safeguarding it, until it moves on to another person.

In short, I don't buy ownership.