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Beyond Possession: Understanding What We Truly ‘Own’
A reflection on the difference between paying for something and truly belonging to it
The things that matter most in life cannot be owned — only held with grace.
We live in a world where ownership is often mistaken for authority, and transactions are mistaken for entitlements. But life, in its layered complexity, constantly reminds us that not everything we have is ours to own — even when we’ve paid a price.
Take a moment and reflect: how many things in your life do you truly “own”? Not by possession or payment, but by essence and relationship?
It’s a common assumption that if we bought it, we own it. But that line of thinking — although reinforced by consumerism — doesn’t always hold up in real life.
You may pay hospital bills for a birth, but that doesn’t mean you own the child. You become a parent, not a proprietor. You may pay someone’s salary, but that doesn’t make you the owner of their dignity, presence, or free will.
We are taught that money is power, and while it may give access, it does not grant ownership of the intangible — love, loyalty, peace, connection, or identity.
