Why is it that a mere paper document can endow a human with ownership to a portion of the Earth just because one they it does? Edward Morgan Forster (author of “My Wood) and Henry Van Dyke (author of “Who Owns the Mountains?”) have unique perspectives on the effects of ownership and material possession exhibited by humans. On a similar note, a man by the name of Ralph Waldo Emerson reliably asserted that humans are in the habit of defining each other by their material belongings, which in turn provokes vices such as: Selfishness, Irresponsibility and Greed. The concept of owning property and material possession can be classified as a selfish pursuit. For example, E.M. Foster, the author of “My Wood”, commented that he only wanted his forest …show more content…
As aforementioned, when a person owns too many material items, their optimal level of responsibility is too extreme for them to handle. As a result, one may find that they are not responsible enough to maintain said possessions. For example, a wealthy person, such as Pompous Silverman, may find himself in the need of a maid or janitor to clean up after him because he owns so many materials objects that it makes him, “feel heavy” (My Wood) with obligation. This profound weight comes from the overwhelming responsibility that one experiences from possessing so many objects. But, because everyone has a different personality, and everyone has a different optimal level of responsibility, not everyone will have the same results. On the other hand, owning materials may also cause one to become responsible. This may be possible when one is in a state of ownership that is relatively less stressful and requires less responsibility. Possession may take a positive turn in making one more responsible, due to the fact that “..property makes its owner feel that he ought to do something to it. Yet he isn’t sure what” (My Wood). Nevertheless, the owner has an obligation; an urge to do something to one’s property. Accordingly, that very urge is a form of responsibility; since one would care about one’s belongings and feel an obligation to take care and reliably preserve them to the best of one’s
In the modern world, people posses more than what they can actually keep tract of physically and mentally. Everyone wants to live the “good life” where they can have no limits to the things they want. Whether it is clothes, cars, jewelry, or houses, the need to buy things that are affordable and are in style preoccupies the minds of many people. The argument for necessity goes against this way of modern living, but agrees with Thoreau's view on it. The argument is that people should have enough of each just ...
If I got lost in a desolate desert, I would survive because I value things that are essential and beneficial for survival. King Tut would have died if he got lost because he values items like gold and jewelry, whereas I bring the essentials. This is a good habit because money does not bring happiness into anyone’s life. It is the moments that they spend with their family that bring true happiness into their lives. When people value material possessions greater than their own or their family survival won’t live a happy life.
My house and my things were my new employers for a job I had never applied for”. With too much materialism, your life will be unnecessary complicated and you will not get time to do your favorite things so therefore buying less you will have time to go out and enjoy, instead of being worried about things that needs to be done. I am not saying that you should isolate yourself from materials. Without materials, people will not have jobs for example, in the above quote lawns to mow, roommates.
In order to do this we need to have responsibility for our possessions. They are ours, they have value, whether sentimental or monetary, and it is our job to take care of them. If we do not, then our hard earned money has gone to waste or our memories that were attached to it, are simply only alive in our minds. Having things to take care of helps us to have a sense of purpose in life, and teaches us responsibility to care for what is ours. Both important virtues that help us grow and discover ourselves when we have tangible objects that belong to and are cared for by
Hoarding doesn’t necessarily make a person weak, dirty or poor. It is simply a person’s way of life.
Typically, the property owner owes a duty to ensure the premises is free from hidden and latent defects and a duty to exercise reasonable care on his or her property.
He teaches his readers two valuable lessons that he learned through his experience of dumpster diving; take only what you can use, and the short existence of material things. I agree wholeheartedly with these two principles. Spiritual and mental things last for a much longer time than any knick knack ever can. And indeed it is easy to believe that an object holds a sentiment to us, think backwards to what that object first transformed from. A treasure chest, a block of wood, a log, a tree, a small seed. Look at that sentimental object for what it really is and it truly is nothing more than what we make out of it. Yet we still have the sentiments and memories that object supposedly holds. I too believe that there is no reason in holding onto things that we don’t need either. Eighner is trying to explain to us that we shouldn’t place our happiness in such things that clutter our lives and are really just
In order to decide whether the term "owning" helps develop your moral character, you must first figure out what owning something means to you. To me, "owning something" applies to not only the tangible, like a shirt, but also the intangible, like knowing something so well you own it, or even owning a behavior.
Smith, Adam. "CHAPTER XI OF THE RENT OF LAND." An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Oxford: Clarendon, 1976. 161. Print.
First, the acquisition of any failure to discard large amounts of possessions that appear to be useless or of limited value. Second, clutter that precludes using living spaces as initially intended such as using the kitchen to cook or the bathroom to bath. Finally, third significant emotional distress or impairment in function caused by hoarding behavior and clutter. (Cited by Fleury) Studies of hoarding show the rate of occurrence somewhere between 2 to 5 percent of the American population. That means as many as six million to fifteen million Americans suffer from hoarding that causes them distress or interferes with their ability to live. (Frost9) Neighbors or even family members could display symptoms of hoarding, however many times these signs go unnoticed because they are not thought of as hoarding most of the times they are laughed off or referred to as the “pack rat”. Robert Frost stated in his book Stuff, “The passion of a collector, the procrastination of someone who has not taken the time to put things away, the sentimentality of one who saves reminders of important personal events---all these are part of the hoarding story.”
Leopold defends his position the advent of a new ethical development, one that deals with humans’ relations to the land and its necessity. This relationship is defined as the land ethic, this concept holds to a central component referred to as the ecological consciousness. The ecological consciousness is not a vague ideal, but one that is not recognized in modern society. It reflects a certainty of individual responsibility for the health and preservation of the land upon which we live, and all of its components. If the health of the land is upheld, its capacity of self-renewal and regeneration is maintained as well. To date, conservation has been our sole effort to understand and preserve this capacity. Leopold holds that if the mainstream embraces his ideals of a land ethic and an ecological consciousness, the beauty, stability and integrity of our world will be preserved.
Initially, in the state of nature, man did not own property in the form of resources or land. All fruits of the earth were for the use of all men,“and nobody has originally a private dominion, exclusive of the rest of mankind, in any of them, as they are thus in their natural state” (Locke 353). In this state, people could only appropriate what they could make use of. It was unfair for one person to take more than he could use because some of that natural commodity would go to waste unless another man might have made use of it for his own benefit (360).
In this paper, I will examine Nozick’s ‘whatever arises from a just situation by just steps is itself just’ formula. By this formula, Nozick protects individuals’ absolute property rights. To examine its validity, first, I will show that Nozick’s entitlement theory relies on Kantian principle, which demands treating everyone as persons having individual rights with dignity. However, it will be clear that Kantian theory does not necessarily yield the concept of absolute property rights. Second, I will explain the principle of self-ownership, which will clarify that persons have rights over their bodies and powers. I will find the principle of self-ownership is compatible with Kantian principle. Third, I will examine Nozick’s proviso, which guides legitimate initial acquisition. However, finally, I will show that the appropriation that passes Nozick’s proviso violates the idea of respecting people as persons with dignity. In other words, Nozick’s proviso is inconsistent with Kantian principle. Therefore, Nozick’s formula fails.
Seneca challenges Land owners to be virtuous and not place their focus on the importance of their material (Land) possession in this world, “Who owned the land before your grandfather? You did not enter into this land as an owner but as a tenant.” Seneca goes on to advise men to content with the land they have and learn to share with their brother. This blends in with Seneca’s original stance on virtue and the argument that one must make best of life with the materials that one has been given.
“Hoarding is the excessive collection of items, along with the inability to discard them. Hoarding often creates such cramped living conditions that homes may be filled to capacity, with only narrow pathways winding through stacks of clutter. Some people also collect animals, keeping dozens or hundreds of pets often in unsanitary conditions” (Mayo Clinic). Hoarding seems to be a growing problem that affects millions of people in the United States today. It can affect anyone, ranging from a thirteen year- old child anywhere to an eighty year- old. Behind every problem, is a cause and consequences that go along with it. Unless you are a hoarder yourself, you may not fully understand what exactly causes someone to become a hoarder, the consequences that may arise from having your life affected by hoarding, or the possible solutions that are out there to help over come this compulsive disorder.