Why Ownership is Important

"He who does not own does not comprehend."
- Friedrich Nietzsche

An old mentor of mine once explained his concern around us heading towards a society where we increasingly own less. He explained that we no longer own music on CDs, we no longer own films or any digital media, and some don't own a house or car whilst living in one and driving one. Everything is becoming a subscription, where does it end? He went on to explain how this is bad for individuals as they are becoming powerless in the face of large companies. This extends to the idea that we won't own cars one day due to the advent of ubiquitous sustainable autonomous transport, an idea that I subscribe to and a reality I look forward to. I defiantly disagreed with him that it is fundamentally bad. Here is why I think that.

I agree that it is bad for probably most people because most people don't know how to play the game. Once you know the rules though, the game is on easy mode.

A capitalist system rewards ownership while a communist system punishes it. Here are the rules: The one that accumulates assets in a capitalist system is the winner. Contrastingly, the one that is able to kick and scream the loudest, complain the most, and blame the rich, are the winners in a communist society. One is fundamentally productive and the other, fundamentally counterproductive. The system we live in is a productive one.

Despite you thinking that Spotify is exploiting you when they charge their monthly fee, the psychology changes as soon as you own Spotify stock. Do you see how the complainer is punished while the owner is rewarded? This is because we are capitalists in the West. Remember, once you understand the rules, the game is easier to play. It doesn't matter if you like it or not, ownership in productive assets is rewarding, whilst sulking is not.

I explained to my mentor that we live in one of the freest countries, where you are able to own the means of production for yourself. There is a thing called the stock market and I believe it's the best invention we've come up with to date. It allows us all to participate in the collective global free market. It enables us to take part in the greatest wealth generating machines known to man. All it takes is your participation and you are no longer the sucker who owns nothing, you are an owner of the means by which the global economy thrives. Once you are in the club, you are rewarded handsomely in the form of equity price appreciation (or depreciation, lol) and or dividend payments.

It has never been easier to own the best assets on planet Earth. So the next time you're upset that you have to pay your Netflix subscription again, perhaps instead of paying for useless movie subscriptions, put that capital to work in some Netflix stock for example?

What does this mean for me? It means I saved as many cents and dollars as I could, and purchased as much equity as possible in the company I believe has the best future. It is saving and accumulating productive assets, that's it. I believe this is the ticket to personal prosperity in our economic system. These are the cheat codes, now play the game.