@ John Martinez
2025-02-11 14:37:44
## A Brief History of Ownership
### The Forgotten Struggle for Ownership
History reveals that our ancestors labored—both intellectually and physically—to secure the freedoms we are subconsciously giving away.
We stand at the threshold of a new era.
Across the globe, long-established institutions are showing signs of strain. Trust in governments, banks, and major corporations is eroding, leaving many individuals feeling as though their rights are being infringed upon—even if they struggle to articulate exactly how. Social media and traditional news outlets amplify this sense of unease, painting a picture of impending upheaval, as if we are on the brink of a revolution whose name will only become clear in hindsight, once the first sparks ignite into a full-blown blaze.
Yet, when we examine the state of the global economy, this narrative begins to unravel. Economic inequality has reached levels unseen in nearly a century, and while many point fingers at politicians, policies, or the so-called greed of the 1% hoarding all the wealth, the true culprit may be much closer than most realize. At a time when legal structures worldwide strongly protect ownership and economic mobility, it is individuals themselves who are willingly surrendering their financial power to the very elites they criticize.
I know—“willingly” might seem like a stretch. After all, no one consciously chooses to give up their economic freedom. But take a closer look at the way people spend, borrow, and consume, and it becomes painfully clear: most are actively forfeiting their ability to build and own wealth.
How did we get here?
Much of this self-inflicted harm comes from a fundamental ignorance of the history of ownership and the struggles fought to secure it.
This article serves as a short exploration of the past.
I'll examine what might be considered the natural state of humanity, how the majority has historically struggled to achieve ownership rights, and the deadly conflicts that had to occur for the modern individual to enjoy the very rights they are now squandering.
### I. The Era of Communal Ownership
No one is born into this world alone.
We do not simply materialize into existence; we arrive as part of the first unit of human society—the family.
Before the rise of civilization, the primary focus of the family was survival. Ownership was a foreign concept, as early human tribes lived in a state of communal resource-sharing. Material possessions were fleeting, and with that, so was the notion of personal property.
In the state of nature, no individual had an exclusive claim to anything. Instead, ownership existed in a tribal sense: “This land belongs to us.” The idea of “mine” extended only by association—what belonged to the tribe also, by extension, belonged to each of its members.
This was a fragile system. Resources required constant upkeep, and as populations grew, leadership emerged to manage the complexity of distribution. This shift laid the foundation for the rise of kings and centralized authority. The concept of ownership, once a communal right, gradually became something dictated by those in power. The people no longer owned anything outright; they merely had the privilege of stewarding what belonged to their ruler.
### II. The Rise of Peasants and Kings
The first codified legal system, the Code of Hammurabi, laid out extensive laws on ownership. Interestingly, this ancient civilization granted more property rights to commoners than many societies did even a few centuries ago.
A few millennia later, Greece laid the philosophical foundations for ownership, but true legal protections for private property did not emerge until much later. In medieval Europe, ownership rights almost disintegrated—not even nobles truly owned land. Everything belonged to the king, and monarchs waged war over control of vast territories, including the people within them.
Meanwhile, in the Islamic Golden Age, the Middle East saw an unprecedented period of economic freedom. Under Sharia law, property rights were protected for the average citizen, something unheard of in much of medieval Europe. The extent of these rights depended largely on religious affiliation, but compared to their European counterparts, many commoners in the Islamic Empire enjoyed greater economic autonomy.
### III. The Birth of Property Rights: The Rights of Man
As the Islamic Golden Age waned and the Mongol Horde thundered toward Baghdad, another seismic shift was occurring in England. In 1215, rebellious nobles captured London and forced King John to sign the Magna Carta, the first written document to impose limits on absolute monarchical power and introduce property protections—though these rights were initially reserved for the nobility.
This moment planted the seeds of change. Over the next several centuries, the fight for ownership rights expanded beyond the aristocracy. The Black Death (1347–1351) wiped out over 30% of England’s population, increasing labor shortages and bargaining power for peasants. By the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt, the common man demanded a greater share of land and wealth.
Yet, it wasn’t until the 1700s with the Enclosure Acts that private property became legally protected for the broader population. What began as a noble rebellion in 1215 ultimately transformed ownership from royal privilege to individual liberty.
### IV. The Age of Renting: The Illusion of Ownership Today
Despite centuries of struggle, we now find ourselves at a paradoxical moment in history: ownership is more legally protected than ever, yet fewer people actually own anything of value.
**Homeownership in Decline:** The U.S. homeownership rate peaked in 2005, only to decline for a decade, hitting a low of 63% in 2015. Despite slight rebounds, high housing costs have pushed many into perpetual rentership.
**Vehicles as Subscriptions:** In 2024, one-fifth of new vehicles were leased, and long-term auto loans have become the norm. A financed car is not truly owned—it’s rented from a bank until the debt is cleared.
**The Subscription Economy:** Ownership of media, software, and even personal data has been replaced with monthly fees. Cloud storage, SaaS, and streaming services have ensured that we no longer possess even our own information.
### V. The Consequences of Financial Illiteracy
We now live in a society built on renting, where economic stability depends on a continuous stream of payments. The more we lease, subscribe, and finance, the more control shifts from individuals to corporations and financial institutions.
**This shift has profound implications:**
- A person who owns little has little power.
- A society that rents everything can be controlled by those who own everything.
- Wealth is no longer built through accumulation, but through debt and dependency.
For millennia, people fought for the right to own. Today, through financial illiteracy and consumer habits, we are giving it away.
How much do we truly own, and how much have we already forfeited?
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