Why do we have such an intense desire to own things?
This question started nagging at me over Christmas and popped up again around my birthday. I'm not totally sure why, but you can't deny that humans have a desire, some times even a need, to own things. Is it a control issue? Does it make us feel more powerful or significant when we own something? Perhaps it is a need for security, and our stuff insulates us from the harsh realities of the world? Why are we so greedy and protective of the things we own or don't own, when we know that in the end, all of our stuff will mean nothing?
Then again, is ownership even real, or is it merely an illusion? Just because it is in our possession, do we really own it? This is especially murky when we talk about intellectual and artistic property. According to copyright law, you only own a copy of some one else's property that you have paid for the right to use, but only for limited applications.
And yet, there is plenty of money to be made from this illusion of ownership. Just ask amazon.com, where you can not only buy just about anything you can imagine, you can make a wishlist of all the wonderful little goodies others can buy for you. How thoughtfully convenient!
But this isn't just a phenomenon of the digital age. Jesus spoke quite a bit about ownership, and usually quite harshly. (Matthew 6:19-34) In fact, much of law throughout history deals with ownership. Apparently, we have always been greedy, needy people. And believe me, it starts at an early age. In the time since I sat down to write this, I've had to separate my 19-month-old twins at least four times, because they were fighting over a toy.
While I don't completely know what makes us desire this ownership of objects, I do know that it makes us do terrible, irrational things, and it should be resisted. I do still have my amazon.com wishlist, but i have been more thoughtful of late as to what I put on it. Do I actually have a valid reason to want to own that movie, book, or CD, or do I just want the empty satisfaction of ownership? My wife and I have enjoyed using the Blockbuster online system for movies, and I suddenly have less desire to own various DVDs. I have also recently rediscovered the joy of the public library system. I guess if my tax dollars are paying for it, why not use it? But seriously, it has helped me to see that I don't need to own every book I want to read.
This attitude might also help us be more generous with what we do have. I think generosity comes from not being too attached to the material. When we care too much about our things, we guard them very closely. But when we know their true value, we are free to give of our possessions. And that is something I know God desires from us.
