The Empty Thrill of Ownership

When I was a child, it was always a special thrill to be able to buy a book instead of borrowing it from a library. In fact, ownership of anything made me feel so proud. However, I eventually grew up and got over that sentiment, although I’m amazed at how many of my peers never did get over it. I now look at things from a completely different perspective. Now, I refuse to buy anything, especially books and DVDs, if it’s more practical to rent or borrow them. The way I see things, the more one has, the more one has to worry about – and keep up with.

I can’t understand why people buy music (CDs, downloads, etc) when they can listen to it for free on the radio. I can’t understand why people buy DVDs when they can rent them from Netflix or Blockbuster. I can’t understand why people buy books when they borrow them from a library or even access their contents over the Internet.

Obviously, some things are impractical and/or don’t make good financial sense to rent or borrow. These things would include a house, a vehicle, clothing, tools, furniture, appliances, and other big-ticket items. However, for most of the little things, I’ll avoid ownership whenever possible, thank you.