We're all becoming renters in our own economies

[Churchillvv]

snip

I completely agree with you here, even after paying huge amount for our property we can't get full ownership, govt can take it away anytime from us. I feel like we are living in a world of rented economy where the dream of ownership is becoming difficult day by day. Rented economy is our new reality. Because of the huge increase in prices, owning anything has almost become a dream. Govt or big companies together introduce the policies by which they push the public to buy things on installments .Houses, cars, home appliances ,even the mobile phones in our hands are mostly bought on installments.

I think People purchasing power is decreasing and ownership is slowly shifting away from ordinary people into the hands of big companies and the government. Even buying a small piece of land  become extremely expensive and one has to pay heavy charges just to transfer it into your own name. As a result, many middle-class families prefer to live in rented houses not by choice but because ownership has become nearly impossible.

I think right now I’m stuck within believing we are in a capitalist society or socialist society (the gap between socialism and capitalism is now so small) the government owns the means of production and distribution of all things in the country. I agree with you too that installment is now the new standard of living especially in the western world that is why people in some part of the world like my country seem to be happy over the people in other part of the world as ownership is not yet solely in the hands of government yet properties can be taken away at anytime by the government. With this life of renting standards I consider living a a rural area better than the urban areas.

[Kelward]

Maybe that's why decentralized stuff is important. Not because it'll make anyone rich (it probably won't) but because it's something that you can actually own.

This is the same reason why governments don't like Bitcoin because it represents decentralization which gives it's holders privacy and freedom, the very thing that they don't want for their citizens. Bitcoin has opened our eyes to know that we can choose to distance ourselves from the shackles of their centralized monetary system which is vulnerable to inflation. With KYC our lives are monitored and being that money is almost involved in everything we do we our lives are monitored without our consent. Government pretty much owns everything within their jurisdictions, you will think that you own a piece of land until your government finds a need for it, you'll either accept the peanut compensation offer that is given to you or you move on and there's nothing you can do about it.

[Mhizlove]

I get your point,indeed everything has turned to be on rent in this world, imagine countries with resources but still yet  they don't have access or the control over where real money is been made. People work but value is being created somewhere else, that occurs on our daily lives also . Okay see the cars we're using, softwares and also the platforms we work with is all borrowed.

Why because all this don't  belong to us, still yet people can't stop thinking on long term and I don't see reason why you build and make plans when you know that the rules will change someday and anytime? That's why decentralisation is an important stuff, that's not because it will make everyone wealthy but rather gives people the little knowledge of power  over their career and future.

[Oluwa-btc]

Maybe that's why decentralized stuff is important. Not because it'll make anyone rich (it probably won't) but because it's something that you can actually own.

Absolutely we live in a world where everything owned is being subscribed for, like you literally have to pay for everything you utilize.Imagine having natural resources but we must pay to get access to it and thus renting keeps circulating, before you own something it must be paid for or rented either ways. That's the more reason Bitcoin existence has easily deviated that mindset from alot of holders cause you basically gain ownership of it automatically.

[Agbamoni]

Thank you for opening my eyes to understand many things.

The world is f**ked up. Everything is transactional, even things that shouldn't be placed a monetary value on are priced.

If we live our life focusing on the truth, we wont be happy at all. Knowing the truth is better, but it becomes worse when you can't do anything about it, because everything is messed up deep in the root.

[Darker45]

I deeply understand the points you are trying to make, the world today is more like a rented place even from our birth you can see that you are not assured of living but very much guaranteed of your death and the mere fact that you will temporarily here, furthermore; government or individuals that we elected to represent us in the day to day running of our countries now force everyone leave their properties in their hands to share amount us, it’s really bad that we can’t own lands for really, it’s all rented, we pay taxes for everything which also a subscription for living in our fathers land… infact in general the live we live are rented, when they decide to take it away from us they can. What a terrible life.

But that's life. Terrible or not, it doesn't matter. That's what it is. I remember a hippie saying "relax, nothing is under control." Perhaps that's the full truth.

There's a bad need to be in control. There's always that struggle. That's probably why decentralization seems revolutionary. It sounds romantic, giving back power and control and ownership to individuals. However, what about the infrastructures on which these decentralized innovations are running? What about the devices by which we can get access to them? Are we in control of them?

[Cheema02]

the world today is more like a rented place even from our birth you can see that you are not assured of living but very much guaranteed of your death and the mere fact that you will temporarily here, furthermore; government or individuals that we elected to represent us in the day to day running of our countries now force everyone leave their properties in their hands to share amount us, it’s really bad that we can’t own lands for really, it’s all rented, we pay taxes for everything which also a subscription for living in our fathers land… infact in general the live we live are rented, when they decide to take it away from us they can. What a terrible life.

Your point directed a very hardh truth about the modern life. Everything is temporary in this world that's why we are temporary being by native and only one thing is guaranteed that's is death. Even when we purchased some properties and  wanted to take hold in the form of ownership actually its alao controlled by government and system behind that. Which thing that we thought is our property actually some sort of currepted laws hold it and anytime it convert to other way like authority turn our ancestral lands into rented spaces so this reality create helplessness in our personality. So the learning point is that we have controls on our emotions and thoughts so we may not own the world but we can own how to live in it. As we now life is temporary so its depends on us how we respond it.

[Chilwell]

Maybe that's why decentralized stuff is important. Not because it'll make anyone rich (it probably won't) but because it's something that you can actually own.

Absolutely we live in a world where everything owned is being subscribed for, like you literally have to pay for everything you utilize.Imagine having natural resources but we must pay to get access to it and thus renting keeps circulating, before you own something it must be paid for or rented either ways. That's the more reason Bitcoin existence has easily deviated that mindset from alot of holders cause you basically gain ownership of it automatically.

This all thing shouldn't be done this way, in our own land we have become slaves, we cannot do anything we want until they decide for us, i don't really know what these people are trying to do to us. If you can see they had designed everything in such a way that it will be on their favour, take for instance assuming now in your own house, where you are living, you discover a mineral resources that is when you will see the federal government will come in and stop you from doing anything in that particular land, they will evacuate you there and claim that they are the owner of the Land and if you try to fight back there will ambush you, but they will bring an offer which will result into compensation so that they were silent you completely.

[devlin85]

I deeply understand the points you are trying to make, the world today is more like a rented place even from our birth you can see that you are not assured of living but very much guaranteed of your death and the mere fact that you will temporarily here, furthermore; government or individuals that we elected to represent us in the day to day running of our countries now force everyone leave their properties in their hands to share amount us, it’s really bad that we can’t own lands for really, it’s all rented, we pay taxes for everything which also a subscription for living in our fathers land… infact in general the live we live are rented, when they decide to take it away from us they can. What a terrible life.

But that's life. Terrible or not, it doesn't matter. That's what it is. I remember a hippie saying "relax, nothing is under control." Perhaps that's the full truth.

There's a bad need to be in control. There's always that struggle. That's probably why decentralization seems revolutionary. It sounds romantic, giving back power and control and ownership to individuals. However, what about the infrastructures on which these decentralized innovations are running? What about the devices by which we can get access to them? Are we in control of them?

The idea of decentralization is somewhat romantic, and it sounds so revolutionary because it directly attacks the central problem of centralization, which is who controls data, identity, and value.
Considering your question, “What about the infrastructure on which these decentralized innovations run?” We realize that decentralization only reduces dependence, since hardware is manufactured by a few, the operating system used obeys others, and the network passes through regulated ISPs. Furthermore, energy depends on states and corporations. It would be more honest or realistic to say that decentralization does not promise complete freedom, but it does offer resistance to the abuse of power.

[God Of Thunder]

Yes, and it is all happening because only a few people worth 50% of the wealth on the earth, while the other 50% owned by the entire population. People are getting richer, but poor individuals continue to struggle with poverty, despite working hard. While farmers in my village make roughly $6-$8 a day working hard, I am here making around $3 per post, writing my own unpopular opinion on the internet.

The world economy is totally unbalanced, and it is becoming more and more unbalanced day by day. The government can only fix it if they want. But they don't do it because that is how the world works.

[Porfirii]

-snip-
With the rate of inflation and how expensive things are now, it would be very difficult for poor or middle-class people to have anything if they were not allowed to rent.
How would they afford a house or a car with a one-time payment?

A few decades ago a salaried worker could buy a house with the savings of just a few years. Nowadays, people who are lucky enough get mortgages paid in 30 years granted to buy their houses, so they don't really "own" them until they pay off their mortgages. My opinion about this is that inflation is high and things are expensive precisely because it has been possible to establish that change of mentality in which enjoying things is enough, even if they're not owned by you.

-snip-
Even the streaming platforms. With Netflix, Apple Music or Spotify, they can have all the music and a lot of movies to watch for as low as $20 a month. Would they be able to buy all the movies and music they watch and listen to a month if this weren't possible?

People were happy with just a few good films and music records. Now the market is flooded by shitty content and we feel the urge to consume it, which in my opinion is not progress. The subscription fee may be low, but many times you're paying the missing part with your data and, lately, seeing ads even on paid subscriptions.

[Ucy]

Absolutely (this's in regard to the last part of your post).
 The rent issue is one of the biggest reasons we avoid or are careful of centralized platforms like Facebook Twitter, exchanges, etc. You don't make the mistake of thinking longterm on such platforms, especially if you do harmless/good things they consider radical or harmful to their system.
With truely decentralized systems like Bitcoin, you don't have to worry about censorship or getting kicked out for "radical" views or behaviors. You control your data, your coins, and all your other vital things. If you somehow get censored on one place, you still have control over your stuff and can import/access them on another place. Not like losing access to alll your cherished things on a centralized system after investing heavily on them.

 Unless you are going to be completely obedient to the centralized system it's better to consider the alternative where things are fair and everyone can have control over the system and their assets in it

[snowpega]

<....>
Maybe that's why decentralized stuff is important. Not because it'll make anyone rich (it probably won't) but because it's something that you can actually own.

Man, whatever you said, I agree with you. Because the idea of decentralization is giving power to every individual entity that is using it. But on the other hand, whatever we have in a centralized space is under someone else's custody, even though we own everything under this system totally. Well, sadly, our decentralized system is breaking down day by day due to changes in government regulations and rules. Now, you may wonder why i am saying this, so the reason is that you may also have noticed that governments are imposing tax on every person who is investing in cryptocurrecny or in bitcoin and to regulate in governments are asking exchanges about the users data and we know that they have to share it so that they can run thier service in these countris to make money from thier users.

Other than this, if we talk about the main point of this topic, then I used to think that in our country government started to impose taxes on every person who owns land and a house, and they have to pay taxes on each land and house. And I was thinking that it feels me like a rent what your topic title said.

[Alpha Marine]

A few decades ago a salaried worker could buy a house with the savings of just a few years. Nowadays, people who are lucky enough get mortgages paid in 30 years granted to buy their houses, so they don't really "own" them until they pay off their mortgages. My opinion about this is that inflation is high and things are expensive precisely because it has been possible to establish that change of mentality in which enjoying things is enough, even if they're not owned by you.

Inflation did not come because of these changes; these changes came because of inflation. A problem happened, and people found solutions in the best way they could. If you want to fight the actual problem, you have to go back to the root cause, which is the government and their reckless spending and devaluing of the currency.

People were happy with just a few good films and music records. Now the market is flooded by shitty content and we feel the urge to consume it, which in my opinion is not progress. The subscription fee may be low, but many times you're paying the missing part with your data and, lately, seeing ads even on paid subscriptions.

I don't agree that people were okay with what they have. They didn't have much choice because there were no ideal alternatives.
People still get good films and music today. There was shitty music and movies back then, the same way there are shitty music and movies now, too. Now, you can decide not to listen to or watch whatever you want, so if you're listening to the shitty music, it's because you want to. You can listen to whatever you want.

[Marvelockg]

Everything's borrowed now, even the ground under our feet. Not in the way it used to. Countries dig stuff out of the ground (minerals, oil, whatever ) and then ship it somewhere else where the actual money gets made. The people living on top of those resources get jobs in the mines but never the factories. Never the bit about where value actually occurs.

The population of people living in the world has grown and you don't expect that the natural resources be owned primarily by the immediate surroundings alone. You might have a particular natural resources and be destitute of another, yours as to be sold and the proceeds used to carter for the other needs you have. For instance, you might be from the riverside and get access to river resources while agricultural resources and coals might not be in the area. For the sake of balance, the government has to be in charge of there resources so their can be equal distribution of resources to the generality of the population.

If the government takes governance seriously, then it would not be an issue that they are the one in charge od our resources or that we are paying ti enjoy our natural resources.

[jostorres]

The population of people living in the world has grown and you don't expect that the natural resources be owned primarily by the immediate surroundings alone. You might have a particular natural resources and be destitute of another, yours as to be sold and the proceeds used to carter for the other needs you have. For instance, you might be from the riverside and get access to river resources while agricultural resources and coals might not be in the area. For the sake of balance, the government has to be in charge of there resources so their can be equal distribution of resources to the generality of the population.

If the government takes governance seriously, then it would not be an issue that they are the one in charge od our resources or that we are paying ti enjoy our natural resources.

It's like musical instruments basically. Just because I may have a million dollar violin, doesn't make me a great player of it, but give someone a 50 dollar violin who knows what they are doing and they will make a lot of great music with it.

This is why minerals underground is the same, I can be living on top of a big oil field, and could have even billions worth of it right under my feet, and I would not know what to do, instead, I would rent it to some oil company who can make billions out of it and will pay me a decent chunk of it out of their profits instead. Land and what's underneath could be very valuable to those who can utilize it and turn profit out of it, but if you can't, then it worths nothing to you.

[Mate2237]

Off course this is how the society and even the world we live in is structured, there are people who only produce the raw materials that is used in building the technological advancement that, is taking place in the world today. And unfortunately these set of nations are left stranded because their level of influence stops at producing raw materials for the purpose of production while there are those who use these raw materials to produce the real technology that the rest of the world needs.

The world is sharply divided along two lines that is producer and consumers because everything about this world has been monopolized by the high and mighty. Empires has been set up to guide this trend going that is why in today's society there is a vast line between the rich and poor, consumers which are primarily the third world countries and producers the first world countries. It's left for us as individuals to work ourselves into the class were we stand a chance to produce for others which will give us power over other.

[blockman]

We have to pay for real property taxes. After owning a land, you'll still have to pay for its yearly tax depending on how much is the assessment or based on how much you've purchased for it. So, even you've bought it plain cash, it doesn't matter to the government you're still obliged to pay that tax and not just that, if you have bought it from someone you'll also have to pay for doc stamps, transfer fees, etc. We're living in a crazy world where you own something and yet the government shows that it's not yours even if you fully paid for it.

[bettercrypto]

In my country, we have schemes of "Rent to Own" for Condominiums, which is essentially renting until you fail that 1 month of payment and it's all gone. It's masquerading the OG way of handling debt because of saturated real estate markets and over development of cities. Inflation is on the high and the dreams of owning a piece of land is a distant dream, Buying it would tie you to your jobs at the expense of your dreams and family's aspiration. Rent is not bad, atleast not as bad as owning a property with less than 1% rental yield.

In my country, we also have rent-to-own condominiums and houses where the type of home you get depends on your earning capacity; if you have a high salary, you can get a large and beautiful home.

But if you're only earning a modest wage, you'll likely only qualify for row houses. Looking at the reality of life here, the truth is that the majority
of people are just renting particularly in poor communities.

[Ultegra134]

I see many users only commenting the real estate part, the act of buying or renting a house, but I believe that the OP has broadened the subject even further. Nowadays most software is under subscription, whether that's a CRM platform for your work, or a simple software/editing program, you need to pay yearly (sometimes one-time purchase is also available). The platforms we use at work require a yearly subscription, while everything else we might need is extra and costs a ton of money. Owning is becoming a thing of the past, even in cars, BMW had announced that extras would be offered on subscription as well. I'm not sure if the last one ended up staying, because they received a lot of backlash, but it's certainly becoming the new "norm".