Ownership is an illusion because the owner is temporary. If humans were immortal, the desire to accumulate would be understandable. But to invest a lifetime in acquiring things that are guaranteed to slip away, that is a tragic miscalculation of purpose. We are renting time on this planet, yet we behave like permanent landlords of existence. What we hold is not what we keep. What we possess is never truly ours. And what is not ours can never give us lasting peace

Human beings are perhaps the only species on this planet that spends an entire lifetime pursuing things they can never truly keep. The fundamental trigger for greed, the seed of most conflicts, and the core reason humans inflict suffering upon each other is rooted in a single misplaced idea, Ownership. While other creatures in the animal kingdom survive, coexist, and eventually perish without claiming rights over land, gold, or another creature, humans have made ownership the foundation of existence. If this singular concept is redefined and rightly understood, there may be less hatred, fewer wars, fewer divisions, and far fewer heartbreaks in this world.

Ownership has become a psychological obsession. It has become a goal so unquestioned, so ingrained into societal norms, that it is now seen as the very reason for one’s birth and the ultimate validation of one’s success. From the beginning of known time, humans have lived, fought, and died in pursuit of owning something, someone, or some part of this world. Land, metals, paper money, artifacts of luxury, relationships, race, religion, even identity, everything has gradually turned into a possession. Ownership has become a declaration of status, a symbol of power, and a measure of worth. But at what cost?

The idea that owns us

When we speak of ownership, we often speak with pride, as if we have truly conquered something. Yet, history reveals a contrasting truth. Those who believe they own something are most often the ones owned by it. The price of ownership is not just money. It is attachment, anxiety, and the fear of losing what has been gained.

Almost all conflicts in human civilisation, big or small, revolve around this quest to possess and to keep. Nations have gone to war seeking to expand borders. Families have torn apart over inheritance. Relationships have shattered because one tried to own the other. Ownership has governed geopolitics as much as it has governed the dynamics of a household.

We are the only species that fights over a piece of land we will all ultimately leave behind. This is the tragedy of human psychology. We chase after permanence in a world designed to be temporary. We believe control over something external will provide peace internally, but it rarely does. Instead, it creates a thirst that never quenches. Ownership becomes a bottomless pit where satisfaction evaporates as soon as something is acquired. And so, the pursuit continues, fuelled by envy, comparison, and insecurity.

The impermanence paradox

There is a profound irony in the human chase for ownership. Human life is fleeting. The clock starts ticking the moment we are born. Our existence is fragile and finite, yet our ambitions are limitless. We want everything. We want more than we need. We want more than we can experience. But nothing, absolutely nothing that we acquire can accompany us beyond the final moment.

When the last breath leaves the body, everything owned loses relevance in an instant. The grand houses we build, the expensive objects we worship, the wealth we accumulate, the power we amass, all simply remain behind. Someone else takes over. Someone else claims, disputes, fights, and owns what we once believed was ours.

Ownership is an illusion because the owner is temporary. If humans were immortal, the desire to accumulate would be understandable. But to invest a lifetime in acquiring things that are guaranteed to slip away, that is a tragic miscalculation of purpose. We are renting time on this planet, yet we behave like permanent landlords of existence. What we hold is not what we keep. What we possess is never truly ours. And what is not ours can never give us lasting peace.

The happiness deception

The modern world has glorified ownership to the extent that happiness is now tied to possessions. Our success is measured not by our experiences or wisdom but by how much we have acquired. Society tells us that the more we own, the more fulfilled we will be. Yet the evidence of human history, psychology, and everyday life proves the opposite.

Those who dedicate their lives to acquiring things frequently postpone happiness to a future date. The script often sounds like this: I will be happy when I buy that car. I will be content when I have that house. I will be peaceful once my wealth reaches this mark.

Happiness becomes a purchased product, always slightly out of reach, always dependent on the next upgrade. But happiness is not a function of ownership. It is a function of presence. It is the joy of being in the moment without needing to hold it, control it, or label it as your possession. The pursuit of ownership shifts one’s emotional life away from the now, either into regrets of the past or anxieties of the future.

When everything is about having, nothing is about living. True happiness comes from experience, not possession. Owning something does not guarantee fulfilment. But experiencing life wholeheartedly always does.

Experience, the greater wealth

To truly live is to experience. Not to hoard, not to collect, not to conquer. Experiences enrich the soul. Ownership only fills the shelves. A traveller does not own mountains or oceans, yet they feel enriched by their beauty. A wanderer does not possess every culture or cuisine they encounter, yet they are fulfilled by every taste and every connection. A curious mind does not need to own knowledge to be wise, it only needs to absorb and apply it.

What you experience becomes part of you. What you own becomes part of your burden. Experiences expand us inwardly. Possessions restrict us outwardly. The more someone owns, the more tied down they become. Assets slowly turn into anchors. Freedom gradually dissolves into responsibility and fear of loss.

There is a beautiful truth most people sadly fail to embrace. One does not need to own everything to enjoy the best of the world. Most things that make life magical are available without possession. Sunsets, friendships, laughter, learning, nature, love. None of this demands ownership, yet they provide the richest joy known to humankind.

How ownership diminishes value

There is another silent tragedy in ownership that we rarely acknowledge. Things often lose their charm once they become ours. The moment the chase ends, novelty fades, excitement withers, and desire looks for a new target. This is human psychology in motion.

A brand new car, once the heart’s obsession, becomes ordinary within days. A dream home that once felt heavenly becomes a prison of loans and responsibilities. Even relationships suffer from ownership. When one believes they own the other, love suffocates under control and expectation. Possession kills wonder.

Scarcity creates desire. Abundance breeds indifference. And constant ownership breeds boredom more than joy. The more we have, the less we cherish. If we were not destined to die, if we could live forever, perhaps this cycle would make sense. But our short life makes excessive ownership not only unwise but wasteful.

A new philosophy for modern living

It is time humanity reshapes its relationship with ownership. It is time to replace the outdated definition with one that respects both freedom and impermanence. I propose a new framework, a conscious living model that shifts focus away from accumulation and toward meaningful existence.

The Four R Model

A philosophy to rethink ownership:

1. Recognise impermanence: Accept that nothing is truly yours beyond the moment you are experiencing it.

2. Reimagine ownership as stewardship: What you possess today is entrusted to you. Your responsibility is to value it and leave it better.

3. Rebalance life toward experience: Devote more time to living than accumulating. Choose memories over materials.

4. Release attachment: Learn to use objects without letting them define your identity.

What if we changed the narrative?

Imagine a world where people valued experiences more than power. Where identity was shaped by meaning rather than material. Where borders were not drawn to divide but to define responsibility. Where marriages and families were founded on respect and freedom, not control and possession.

Would wars make sense? Would hatred remain justified? Would societies divide based on wealth or status? Would the human heart crave endlessly for what it does not need? A world liberated from ownership obsession would be a world far more peaceful and compassionate. It would be a world where happiness was not purchased but lived.

Let’s reimagine

Ownership is a convenient but dangerous illusion. It promises fulfilment but delivers anxiety. It gives identity but breeds insecurity. It pretends to reward but secretly takes away the limited time we are given.

It is time we ask ourselves a simple but profound question. What do I really own? And what will remain mine when I am gone?

The answer is embarrassingly clear. We own nothing. We only experience everything. And that is enough.

Life is happening right now. Not in the possession of tomorrow. Not in the memory of yesterday. Happiness lies in moments that breathe, not in objects that gather dust. Own less, experience more. The world belongs to those who can live it, not those who wish to possess it.

(Author is the Chairman of Nation Building Foundation, a BJP leader, and a Harvard Business School certified Strategist)