Thursday 24 December 2009

Possession & Ownership: A Conversation

Warstub says:
i find it weird that people are so possessive about material objects.

Ness says:

where did that come from?

Warstub says:

I borrowed a couple of CDs off Adam without asking. I did it once before to a friend of his and his friend got really pissed off then I did it to Jamie. I find it strange because people put such a huge emotional weight on ownership of things that can go away, yet you lose a finger and its a more casual loss.

Ness says:
I don't really think that it's about the things you took more than the fact that you didn't tell them you wanted to borrow them till after you took them.

Warstub says:
that might be true, but it doesn't really matter because they place an emotional weight on an event that has not lost them anything other than a material object. It's sad, because I know by doing this, I set myself apart from them. And they, or at least Adam, thinks that it borders on being a genuine thief, but that's not what it's about. Its about ridding myself of the concept of possessions having ownership of me, and only me having ownership of me. They say that possession is 9/10th of the law, but the truth is that if you possess it then you own it.
Even Christians preach about the dangers of material objects owning you.

Ness says:
the thing is.... its fine about ownership of one's self and possessions not owning you, and all that, but it doesn't give you the right to go and take what ever you feel like

Warstub says:Well it does actually. It is only our concepts of law, justice and as you say 'rights' that stop people from taking whatever they like, but they are purely concepts created for the sake of society's well-being as a communal entity. Proven by the fact that people who don't believe in that do go and take whatever they like without asking.

Ness says:
you mean thieves

Warstub says:
as they are labeled

Ness says:
okay.... but there are other parts of the concepts of law, justice and rights that you still do adhere to. you still walk down the street with clothes on, you don't take things from shops - or do you?

Warstub says:

The only reason i don't take from shops or walk down the street naked is because I don't want to go to prison. That is purely a consequence of an action - not a belief in right or wrong.
I will back-track a little on that though. I believe in the society that I live in, it's ideals and goals, to allow me the chance to do the things in my life that I want to do without harming others - that is something I believe in. I know that I need to stop my CD thieving off friends because its harming our relationships - but thats a consequence of an action. I still wish that they could let go of feeling bruised by an act that has practically no impact on their own selves. They allow the de-possession of a material object to affect them, in a way that it shouldn't (imo).

Ness says:
but you know.... being brought up in the society as it is today, it's very hard to let go of material objects. We're bombarded with the message that material objects equal wealth, or happiness, or satisfaction....

Warstub says: how do we let go of that and care more for the human beings that we are, rather than the objects we own?

Ness says:
especially when to care more for yourself is seen to be self centred

Warstub says:
One must learn to love themselves, before they can love another - and old but very wise truth.
Ness says:yeah