The Idea of Owning Land

[Drifted_Cowboy]

http://www.context.org/iclib/ic08/gilman1/
"HOWEVER NATURAL “owning” land may seem in our culture, in the long sweep of human existence, it is a fairly recent invention. Where did this notion come from? What does it really mean to “own” land? Why do we, in our culture, allow a person to draw lines in the dirt and then have almost complete control over what goes on inside those boundaries? What are the advantages, the disadvantages, and the alternatives? How might a humane and sustainable culture re-invent the “ownership” connection between people and the land?..."

Article is continued at the above link.

 

[katelyn]

Funny, I was just looking into buying maybe an acre for a 'homebase'. Then I realized what owning land really meant. Taxes and a right to be there, but you would have to stay within the rules of the city/county. And who's to say if SHTF I would really want to stay on that land anyway?

Mobile living is the way for me

Interesting history/post

 

[akrvbob]

I'm 100% with you! When humans first created "Private Property" rights, he set himself on a course than had to end in his own destruction. Who could have imagined it would only take 10,000 years and the weird way we did it. But here we are on the eve of making the planet nearly uninhabitable for ourselves.

All in the name of "ownership."
Bob

 

[Spirituallifetime]

And having land is just another place one can collect and store a bunch junk anyway.

 

[compassrose]

I want to buy a little bit of land to set up a homebase on.

I want a homebase because, apparently unlike many of you, I have had to deal with not having a "real address" that is acceptable to government agencies.

I want a homebase because the taxes and utilities will be less than renting a lot in a campground/RV park on a monthly basis. (places we stay at runs us $350 - $450 per month in site & utilities fees... that's $4200 - $5400 per year)

I want a homebase because campgrounds/RV parks do not like it when you need to do major work on your vehicles (Jeep needs to be completely overhauled in a couple of years, we need to build "basement storage" on our bus, recoat the roof with SolarFlex and convert a bus for our daughter).

I want a homebase because I would like to have a little garden with fruit trees.

I want a homebase so that we can save money to take trips hither and yon, then come back to the homebase, make any maintenance/repairs needed, before heading out again.

 

[LeeRevell]

Yep, after some thirteen years of being a 'property owner', I find it's not what it's cracked up to be. It takes a lot of work to keep it looking good, I do my own repairs, the Doublewide needs constant upkeep, trees fall over or drop branches - sometimes BIG branches......
Power outtages, water lines break, AC and heat fail at the worst possible times, and the County wants their 'share' at the end of each year.
Once I get the van converted, I'll spend some time wringing it out and proving everything, then ultimately hope to go Full Time.

 

[compassrose]

Having a homebase is not for everyone. But in our case, I believe it will suit us and our needs/wants just fine. Just figuring out how much we spend in a year for site rent pains me. No house, just a couple of RV pads with full hookups.

 

[Donedirtcheap]

I'm 100% with you! When humans first created "Private Property" rights, he set himself on a course than had to end in his own destruction. Who could have imagined it would only take 10,000 years and the weird way we did it. But here we are on the eve of making the planet nearly uninhabitable for ourselves.

All in the name of "ownership."
Bob

I'm confused. Don't you own property in Arizona?

 

[akrvbob]

I do "own" an acre of raw land in AZ. This is a philosophical discussion and I'm speaking philosophically.

Of course the first thing everyone says is that I am a hypocrite. My response is to compare myself to the French Resistance in WW II. I'm trapped in what I consider to be an evil system that needs to be wiped out. But the system is infinitely bigger and more powerful than I am and has stacked the deck so I have no choice but live inside it. Their were brave Frenchmen who went to work in the day and worked at a factory that helped to support the Nazi war machine but then that night went out and blew things up and killed Nazis. Were they hypocrites?

Obviously they were brave, honorable war hero's and I'm nothing like them. But the situation of being trapped inside a system that will crush you for failure to obey is similar. What do I do? I see I have three options:

1) Drop out of society and live 100% without any reliance or use of civilization. This is nearly impossible to do and for me individually it is totally impossible.
2) Follow the example of the French Resistance and live totally within the system and go off at night and physically blow things up. I'm a coward and not a hero or I would probably be doing this.
3) Work from within the evil system to do everything you can to bring it down.

I've chosen number three. I have tried to drop out of the system to the greatest degree I can and yet still be able to warn others of the evil of our system and encourage them to drop out of it as well.

I'm well aware that nearly all of you will reject my philosophy and that's fine with me, I've learned that my message is better received when I just leave it out. So I emphasize all the selfish reasons you should drop out and try to encourage and inspire people to do it out of self-interest. Quite simply, most of us will be happier if you drop out.

But in this case a member brought it up and I am just shouting my agreement!
Bob

 

[Donedirtcheap]

Bob, start a real battle, give up flying over glaciers in fuel sucking, earth polluting internal combustion powered aircraft. I'm not trying to give you a hard time but the irony is just too much at times. You never should have bought the land, you should have held tough in your beliefs as a van dweller and lead by example. When they came down on you for camping too long in the Sierra national forest you should have done battle right then if need be, not went and bought property. Others are encouraged to ALWAYS go with the van life and ditch home ownership, do they all have the resources to buy an acre when the heat hits? No, many dont have the resources to even replace their trans when it blows.
I would never agree with a blanket position of encouraging everyone to adopt a mobile lifestyle. It is irresponsible and even dangerous for some people.
Just keep your fingers crossed that those evil homeowners, evil business people, evil factories keep churning out product so your next used " house" hits the market some day. Its ironic that most of the white windowless van are actually business or industry type vehicles. Also dont just cross your fingers, but pray that the oil wells keep pumping so you can drive back to Az this winter.
Be safe in your travels and keep chipping away at that damned evil system.

 

[Zil]

Best gol-darn evil system there is. I for one am glad to be my part of the grand experiment called the USA.

 

[jeanontheroad]

Land can be a handy seasonal retreat. Depends on how much you pay for the land and taxes and insurance vs. your other options.

Watch the zoning (you knew that). Sometimes, you can even work around that. A couple decades ago, we looked a a lot on the ICW, but dithered too long. The zoning requirements and insurance would strain our budget. The couple that bought it got approval for a boat dockfor their 38-ft trawler and a house of the required size and a detached garage. Then, they only built the dock and the garage.

Don't know how they manage it, but that's how it still is. They are there in the winter and they pay someone to keep it meticulously maintained - sort of white-picket cottage cute. I think the people around them enjoy the green space and the view.

 

[wagoneer]

Own/indebted a 25' x 112' foot lot with a house, funny because I do not feel ownership. 25 years into a mortgage the only thing it has let me do is amass equity and control the amount of money I spend on a monthly basis. Getting ready to light the fire in the back yard and get the sliders going. Have a great 4th.

 

[jeanontheroad]

We got rid of our latest property when we hit the road. It was great for the 20 years we lived there, but it wasn't where we wanted to be when we come back. Come back, we will, for that is where our family is.

Whatever stage in life one is, it is better to be realistic. Neither of us likes yardwork or home maintenance, anymore. It used to be fun. Now, it is stressful and exhausting. We are already in our late 60's, heading inexorably downhill, so we certainly aren't going to be physically able to do the self-sufficiency thing on some idealistic plot outside of town. Those plots don't exist in Florida anymore, anyway.

So, maybe a condo when we leave the road. Maybe a mobile home so we can have a sliver of ground to grow tomatoes and marigolds in.