The Illusion of Ownership

This is not about conspiracy; it's not about theory; and it is most definitely truth. The points I will be making will be focused around Canada as that is where I am from and what I know. It should be noted that I am pretty certain that many of the points I will raise will hold true in most other countries I imagine. So let's talk about ownership first.

What does it mean to 'own' something? Merriam-Webster defines 'own' as: to have or hold as property. We can work with this definition. Property in this particular case means any form of physical, tangible or material object which you lay claim to or possess. So, now that we know what it means to own something, let's take a look at just one of the things that you think you own but in reality you do not. Let's start with something simple; something that most people own: a car.

So, you bought a car. You managed to save up the money to be able to pay for your car outright. You went to the dealership, test drove a car and then sat down, filled out the paperwork and paid for it in full. It's now your car; or is it? Well, when you paid the dealer for the car, you also paid taxes on it. Before you have even left the lot, you are not only paying for the actually vehicle itself, but through taxes you are now paying extra just for the luxury, the privilege to own your vehicle. 

So now the car is all paid up but it doesn't quite belong to you yet. Before you can safely say you own your vehicle in full, you have to drive down to the Department of Motor Vehicles and pay to have your vehicle registered and to pay for license plates. Once you've registered your vehicle with the government, it is now yours, right? No. Now that the government knows you have a vehicle, you need to pay for insurance in case you get into a car accident. So, next stop is heading down to the Insurance agent to get some car insurance. Not too bad, few hundred dollars a year (you've been a really good driver).

Now we have paid for our vehicle, registered it, insured it and we have a license. NOW we must own that vehicle right? Still not there yet. Your vehicle also requires an inspection so that you know it's safe to drive, so down to Canadian Tire to get inspected, another small price to pay for ownership. Finally, your car has passed inspection and you're good to go. You jump behind the wheel of your car and hit the road. Ownership is great!

Have you ever tried NOT jumping through one of these hurdles? Ever try not paying insurance, registering your vehicle, getting a license or having your vehicle inspected and get pulled over by a  police officer? You know what happens don't you? That's right, you lose your vehicle. Not only do you lose your vehicle, however temporary, you must now pay for all the costs associated with whichever one of those things you neglected. Fines, impound fees, court costs and any other miscellaneous costs incurred and then you may or may not get your vehicle back, depending on your situation.

Thinking back to what we defined what 'own' means you can see quite clearly that you in fact in no way own your vehicle. You must always pay to have it registered every two years, you must have it inspected every two years (opposite to registration), you must renew your license every five years and you must ALWAYS have insurance. So tell me, how can you claim to own your vehicle if you are paying for it your entire life? And we won't even get into the gas, the repairs, the maintenance and any other money you will spend to maintain you vehicle.

This false logic they have used has tricked you into believing that you have private ownership over your things. You do not. You can see this ruse at work with almost anything. Your house? Same deal. Try not paying property taxes. You can even check the 'Terms and Conditions' of most anything you've purchased that you now own and you might be surprised to discover that most companies reserve the right to take back their product at any time at their own discretion. Still think you own your things? You don't. The illusion, however, belongs to you one hundred percent. You can enjoy the illusion or you can trade up for the real thing; the cost? Standing up for yourself and your fellow human beings. 

The government owns you. They own your transportation, they own your home, they own your resources and they own your income. Slaves cannot own; slaves cannot hold titles or deeds; slaves cannot travel freely and without constraint (ever try to cross a border without a Passport?); slaves must pay their masters to live. You are a slave but like any slave, the bondage you were born into is your choice. You can choose to be free at any time; choose wisely.