Ownership is an illusion. We don't really own anything. Our house, our car, our partner, our children, our job, our money, even our body.
If we permanently own something, no one can take that away from us. We can do whatever we want with it, anytime, permanently, forever.
In that sense, a house or a car doesn't really belong to us. If we don't pay council rates, or rego- then we owe the government. And then if we don't pay them, it becomes a debt. Eventually our house, our car will be taken away from us. So really, we are just perpetually renting our house from the government. And we don't own the land either. Because when a new government takes over the old one, they may decide that the land belongs to them and not us.
Our jobs don't belong to us. Tomorrow the company owners can lay you off without any reason. They don't have an obligation to keep us or take care of us for the rest of our lives. Think from the perspective of the company owners and you will understand.
The money in our bank also doesn't really belong to us either. 2 years ago the Australian Dollar was stronger than the American Dollar. Today it has lost almost half of its value. And if an inadequate government decides to change their monetary policy, inflation kicks in, and our money will become toilet paper. Or if the bank goes bankrupt, we also lose everything.
Our loved ones don't belong to us as well. Everyone is entitled to their own life and decisions. Today you are mine. Tomorrow you leave me and I can't hold you back. Today you are my son and you listen to me. Tomorrow you are your own man, you take care of your own family and I won't have any control over you anymore.
When we realise that we don't own anything, we learn to let go and life becomes much lighter, easier. And you learn to love everyone around you equally, not just your loved ones, but strangers too.
It's not how much we are hoarding that matters, but the ability to regain what matters to us after we lose it. Once we are aware that we can rebuild and earn it back after it's gone, that's when we are invincible. And life becomes fully solid. Grounded.
I hope you are going to be influenced positively after reading this. They are not my own copyrighted thoughts, because I don't own anything either. I am just a collection of observations of everything around me.
So what do you think about cryptocurrencies and the way it changes the paradigm of ownership?
Thanks for spending some of your time reading this
---Follow me @ Steemit---kevinwong/etherpunked@gmail.com---
---Visual credit: The Unbearable Lightness of Being (2015) by Petrina Hicks
Excellent thoughts. I often think this when i see everyone striving so hard for some ideal that can disappear at any point.
As for cryptocurrencies - as early adopters they will make us materially wealthy. But in time we will spend them or something better will emerge and itll change. Everything is always changing and in flux. We just have to trust ourselves enough that we can create abundance
I think the first step in disownership is the sharing economy that'll be enabled by cryptos. Second will be the "background-process" transfer of value, and the ability of any values to be transmutated to any other values (think of a matrix of values per person, enabled by a world computer, and a transmutation device like BTS). It's not disownership per se, but it's ownership manifested differently.. more fluidly.. hmm
All right, but why a naked woman?
for the upvotes!
might be a man.. naked is pretty representative of disownership.. lol
it's profitable ))))))
This sounds like a concept from Buddhism.
Simplified buddhism i guess :)
Looking at the title I thought it was going to be about nihilism and how everything in life is meaningless. I am actually surprised that this turned out to be very inspiring and even motivational.
Oh next up will be an article about nihilism and how nihilists are often misunderstood :) Thanks for dropping a word. I'm glad that it's inspiring!
My favorite comic on nihilism: https://xkcd.com/167/
Great post. I'm looking forward to more.
Oh I have plenty of funny nihilist memes :) will keep you posted when i come around to writing about it lol
This meme makes me feel dumb. Do you want to explain what just happened in the meme?
A good question to pose and ponder indeed.
Ownership was a social concept we developed to avoid having to fight for things every time two persons needed a scarce resource. Doesn't work all the time, but avoiding the injuries of even one fight in 10 is still a worthwhile gain.
In a society where most things are plentiful and we have no fear for our survival a concept like ownership may seem outdated and even oppressive, a part of a conspiracy to trap up into needing thing we don't really need for our happiness.
While it is beneficial to understand what resources are really essential for our lives and what things are superfluous, take into consideration that owning something is what allows enterprise to happen. For something to be built upon it must remain available to the builder and must be safeguarded from those that would sacrifice the long term gains for the immediate gain.
Beautifully written. Indeed, as @bitcube said, it does remind me of concepts of Buddhism, which is no bad thing. I like how you presented your perspective, it really resonates with my own. Thanks for sharing.
Glad to have it connected with you! Stay zen :)
Deep.
Reminds me of this short story.
A man went to Buddha and said, "I want happiness."
Then, Budhha replied, "First remove I then remove want then all you are left with is happiness."