Own Nothing, Use Everything?

In my last post many people promoted the usefulness of money in the context of wealth. So this post will discuss that angle a bit further and discuss the topic of ownership. Is it possible to own too much?

Own Nothing, Use Everything

Use and ownership are two different things. When you own something whether it be a car, a house, or your own body, then you've got a long term responsibility. You have to maintain a car, a house, or your own body. You may have to pay money to maintain what you own.

If you can access the resources you need without having to own it then you don't have to pay to maintain it. You can live in the best houses at the best locations. You can drive in the nicest cars and exchange cars whenever you want. Imagine if you could exchange bodies with anyone on earth?

To own is to be responsible for. To use is to simply enjoy or consume. A person who has a lot of money might not need to own as much stuff as people realize. If you have enough money to live in the nicest places, eat the nicest foods, go to all the important social events, then do you really need to own a private jet? You can still fly first class. Do you really need to own a house? You can live anywhere by paying rent.

Money isn't everything. There are some things money cannot buy. At the same time if a person has money then how much money is enough money to do whatever a person wants? If it's all about freedom then excessive ownership may in fact take away from freedom.