Let's Talk About Ownership ...

This is a very interesting topic because all humans and some lesser species seem to master the concept of ownership very early in life. In fact, it might even be innate because we master it long before we realize it and then practice it all through life.

Everyone knows at least one cute little toddler who grabbed their favorite toy and coyly declared, "Mine!" Most of us have also encountered a dog or a duck that was ready to do battle because we ventured too close to their young.

The underlying question is, "Do we really own anything in this world or is it just a crazy notion?" I believe it is a faux pas, a hoax but please don't take my word for it. Before we jump on our "high horses" and take off in every direction, let me take you by the hand on a journey down "Ownership Lane."

All toddlers have my toys, my blankie, my shoes, my clothes, my mummy, my daddy, my dog, my cat, my gold fish and so on. Fortunately or maybe unfortunately it is not always in that order of priority. As they grow older they extend their claim to things like my car seat, my stroller, my birdie and even my moon. Yes. Their claims quickly stretch out into the celestial realm.

Here on the earth, their claims include people too. First it was my mummy and my daddy, now it covers the whole gamut from my brother and my sister to my nanna and my uncle. Then they join little league and long before they hit their very first run, a proud father, beaming from ear to ear, boldly declares, "That's my boy!" Now the kid is talking about my coach, my team and my teammates.

In the blink of an eye, they get onto my bus for their first trip to my school where they meet my teacher and my friend. They talk all day long about my home, my parents and my street. Folks, these kids hardly know how to take a bath and they are yet to earn their first dime but they have already laid claim to a school, a bus and a street!

No, no! It does not stop there. As teenagers, they become preoccupied with my boyfriend and my girlfriend before they get to my dentist, my doctor and my hairdresser. It was inevitable! They claimed the professionals too!

A few short years later they are in university and we hear about my education, may career, my math professor and my roommate. The next logical step is finding a job to support their hectic social life. This starts with my first interview and flows into my job, my manager, my office, my co-workers, my desk, my computer and my next vacation.

Some adventurous ones join the armed forces and we hear about my drill sergeant and my flight instructor. Those who become jet fighters are by nature a little more daring; they go for my MIG and my F16. That's right, give them a uniform and they lay claim to those billion dollar toys.

When does it end? Not before my boyfriend and my girlfriend become my husband and my wife. Of course, this comes with my in-laws and eventually my children. Then comes the realization that they are no longer invincible and we hear about my God, my church and my priest.

Who could raise a family these days without the bare necessities of life like my car, my house, my mortgage, my boat and even my country club? At family gatherings we hear the men talking about my wife or my lady and some even say my woman. Across the room the women are saying my husband or my hubbie or my man!

This "skill" is by no means limited to our personal life. In his world famous song, Tom Jones sings, "She's a lady and the lady is mine." We all know Frank Sinatra's "I Did It My Way" and Billy Joel's "All My Life." The Beatles made "In My Life" and you may remember Bon Jovi's "It's My Life." If you happened to be down in the Caribbean in the late sixties or early seventies you would undoubtedly have heard Calypso Rose belting out one of her mega hits, "My Pussin."

Is it not hilarious that we are all ready to claim the world long before we are ready to pay a dime for it? Well, as you know, money cannot buy everything in life so in the latter years we hear more and more about my medication, my allergies, my vertigo and even my hemorrhoids.

To put this in perspective, I'll tell you about a news item in which a man was reportedly distraught over some family matters. In retaliation he set his home on fire and was charged with arson. Right! Even though he owned the house, he could not do what he wants with it. So much for ownership!

You are probably saying, "Well at least I have my family and myself." Wrong! Think again. If you are lucky, your children will remain in your household until they are ready to leave for university. Yes, eighteen or maybe nineteen years. For the first two years they'll come home for the summer. After that, visits are down to major holidays like Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. University is really the beginning of the end.

"Well at least I have myself; my mind, my body, my life." Have you or a loved one ever been sick? I mean really sick! Have you or a loved one ever had major surgery? If yes, you know what I mean. When you stand there holding on to a hand that is drawing slowly away from you to be led by a total stranger into a room behind closed doors you resignedly question ownership.

If I don't own myself, what then do I really own? My money! Forget that, the taxman is waiting patiently for that. My knowledge! My thoughts! My memory! Yes, if you are lucky to escape senility and Alzheimer's disease. Those are a few of the things that you'll have with you until you are ready to bid adieu from this most precious earth. Create memories, many of them, one moment at a time and cherish them with all your might!

Have you ever been to a funeral? What do people take with them when they leave this earth? A new suit! Maybe! Only a few lucky ones get to take that and a few other things that they have never ever seen before. Thousands left without the new suit during the Tsunami of 2004. What do most people leave behind? Just memories!

One quick closing story! One day I came home from a business trip and was told that my son had a serious accident with my car. It was taken to the local collision center. When we got there I approached the desk and asked to see my car. The attendant asked if I was the driver at the time of the accident. When I said no, he said I could not see the car.

Can you imagine that? I paid my hard earned money for my car. I paid all the insurance, maintenance and licensing fees. I have a certificate stating that I am the owner of my car and this total stranger is denying me access to it! Now you know why I think ownership is just a hoax!