Can anyone truly own land?

[Searcher of Light]

This has been a topic I have pondered for a while. Can anyone truly own land? Considering that borders are just map lines created by people, why do we believe we own a small piece of the earth? Isnt the very idea of the earth being partitioned into pieces childish? It is akin to two siblings drawing a dividing line in their rooms.

Granted, people have died to keep those map lines in place. I am not belittling their sacrifices. However, it seems more accurate that we belong to the land instead of it belonging to us. When we die we return to it, and while we live we depend on it. All the efforts spent to own land avails to nothing. Look at all the nations that have existed throughout history just to have another nation claim that land their own. In the modern society, we push back nature, but as soon as we stop pushing nature starts to reclaim. Why fight such a futile fight against the land? Why be childish and draw lines across the room called earth?

 

[Master Vigil]

I agree, good post. And frubals to ya.

 

[Feathers in Hair]

Hehee, short answer, no, I don't think so.

Although that does not stop me, somehow, from hoping to have a bit of earth someday.

 

[Malus 12:9]

The aboriginals claim to own land all across Australia. In fact, all of it. Is it "theirs" because "they were here first? WERE they here first?

 

[Unedited]

We can own land just as much as we can own anything else in this world.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I think trying to say you can own a piece of land is being greedy. The Earth's lands should be free.

Why fight such a futile fight against the land? Why be childish and draw lines across the room called earth?

Greed, power, and control. The more land, the more money, and the more money, the power and control you have.

 

[Aqualung]

I think we can, and I'm proud of the land I own. Or rather, I will be proud when I actually own some land. :biglaugh:

 

[Sunstone]

I recall that some Native American peoples thought you couldn't own land, too. Also, I once heard of a proposal to change private ownership of land to long term (100 year) leases. There seemed to be many advantages to it.

 

[Darkdale]

Land and Property rights are the cornerstones of civilized society, freedom and community. So yes. We can and should have the right to own land. Now, in the metaphysical sense, we cannot "own" land, but we can rule over our own little pieces of it.

 

[Malus 12:9]

Can I own you Unedited

 

[Ormiston]

We only "own" it as long as it takes for someone else to take it away from us...just like everything else. Likewise, if the land that you owned was washed away in a flood, you would certainly have lost something. What's that old saying? "Possession is 9/10s of the Law".

 

[Darkdale]

Can I own you Unedited

people have been owned before... animals... plants... objects... land...

 

[Unedited]

Can I own you Unedited

Yep. I'm pretty cheap too.

 

[painted wolf]

Not according to my faith... but in todays world that view point isn't highly practicle so we have to make sure that what we do have is protected for the future generations. The Earth is sacred, it isn't here to line anyones pockets.

wa:do

 

[Searcher of Light]

We can own land just as much as we can own anything else in this world.

A nice open statement. We cannot own anything truthfully in this world. We only own the rights to the object not the object itself. Hmmmm. Perhaps in a way we can own land. Land is an idea and ideas are owned by those who generate them. A problem with this idea, however, is the fact the idea of owning land is used by many people. Therefore no one owns the idea of owning land because they did not generate it.

Perhaps it would be better to define what exactly owning is:

1. 1. To have or possess as property: owns a chain of restaurants.
   2. To have control over: For a time, enemy planes owned the skies.
2. To admit as being in accordance with fact, truth, or a claim; acknowledge.

from Answers.com

Ok, the control idea would explain how we "own" land. Also the act of acknowledging a piece of land as someone else's would bestow that person with ownership. The definition uses the word property as well. Which is interchanged with land.

What is property then?

1. 1. Something owned; a possession.
   2. A piece of real estate: has a swimming pool on the property.
   3. Something tangible or intangible to which its owner has legal title: properties such as copyrights and trademarks.
   4. Possessions considered as a group.
2. The right of ownership; title.

also from Answers. com

From the definitions it seems we "own" land(property) only in a legal sense, namely as a right of ownership. We cannot own land if we dont have acknowledgment of ownership, control of the land, or legal protection. Consider that each of the elements are also just an idea or a statement, the maplines we childishly draw are all ethereal. This is especially true since we do not control land; it controls us. We may have some temporary control but in the end the earth controls us. Think of how powerless we are in the face of weather and erosion. Do we really control and thus own land or rather downs land own us?

 

[Fluffy]

It is possible to own land as long as you have the ability to prevent others from doing things on it that you do not want them to. However, I feel that land ownership is a cause of much difficulty in the world. And an unnecessary one at that. I do not think that land should be owned by either the public, the state nor any private enterprise.

 

[michel]

Land and Property rights are the cornerstones of civilized society, freedom and community. So yes. We can and should have the right to own land. Now, in the metaphysical sense, we cannot "own" land, but we can rule over our own little pieces of it.

Quite; I agree and, what is more, I can bequeath it to my Sons.....

I am not quite sure that I 'own' it though; more a case of it being 'mine for my personal use' - and when you look at the sorts of covenants people have included in deeds, you can't just do what you want with it.

 

[painted wolf]

I'd like to add that we here in the Pre-Columbian world had "civilized society" just as much as everyone elce without private land and property rights.
Somehow we got on quite well without this 'conerstone'.

wa:do

 

[michel]

Not according to my faith... but in todays world that view point isn't highly practicle so we have to make sure that what we do have is protected for the future generations. The Earth is sacred, it isn't here to line anyones pockets.

wa:do

I tend to like that way of thinking; like I said, I don't look upon my 'ownership' of land as being literal - just a 'permit' to live there.