Who owns the moon?

Some will say, “No one.” Another will say, “Mine, because I planted my flag there.” But this is not about the Moon. This is about the land beneath our feet. Is the land ours because we discovered it first? Is the land ours because we conquered it?

The extraordinary thing is that there were always previous owners. There is no land in the world that has not been claimed. But neither is there any land owned by an original owner. Every land has been conquered and belongs to someone. What then is “fair”?

Can a human being actually own a land? Do countries actually exist? Man creates things that do not exist in nature. We think we can own things. We define boundaries that exist only in our mental construct. But this is the case and we just have to live with it.

Nevertheless, I want to point out that in fact man cannot possess anything at all outside himself. The only thing that belongs to man is his body. His soul has that body on loan as long as it resides on Earth. It would be good if we take this as the starting point for our mental construction. But for that, man must first become more aware of life and his role in it.

Countries are also an invention. Understandable because humans must work together to survive. People gather and organize in groups. As time passes, groups emerge that speak the same language and are culturally connected. Such a homogeneous group forms a strong entity that can defend, but also conquer. Eventually, all land is pretty much divided.

A country flourishes when it speaks the same language and adheres to the same culture. A country is divided when it speaks multiple languages and has diverse cultures. Belgium with German, French and Dutch is an example. Then the owner has to control the different groups. Owners are generally very opposed when groups want to split off. Catalonia in Spain is an example of that.

But humans tend to belong to as small a group as possible. Are we aware of that? We are for our own soccer club. We are for our own family. We are for our own work. Only after all those things do the larger groups come into play. Only then are we for our country. Only then are we for the group to which our country is affiliated. We are for ourselves first. We are for our partner. Our parents and children. Close to us.

At the same time, man tends to protect and enrich himself. This requires expansion, pushing the borders further away and bringing in more wealth. Not realizing that it cannot work, because if you no longer know your neighbors no group can be formed. A group that is too large can never become homogeneous. Without homogeneity, a group cannot function. At least not in freedom.

We will have to overcome the fear of other groups. We will have to tolerate other groups. We will have to cooperate with other groups on an equal basis with benefits for all. The question is whether we can ever learn and do this. Because then we will have to let go of the land and not want to own the land. It may be a utopian thought. Or a naive wish.

Man buys a lottery ticket in order to win a large sum of money. That is his need; it is in almost all human beings. We will also have to grow beyond this. Not wanting to become rich. Even though all the people around you do want to become rich. You will not experience it in this life that the world changes substantially in this respect. The only thing that can happen is that you yourself go on a journey. That you let go of things and become freer. It’s not an easy journey; you have to love traveling. Wild journeys.

Just dwelling on these things and thinking about them is part of the journey in awareness. Every step is one. Who does the Moon belong to? What is your group? How big is that group? Or are you actually alone?

By our own Nico Cost for GlobalSouth.co