Wen Tzu - Verse 177

from Verse One Hundred Seventy-Seven

Mountains, river, valleys, and canyons were divided and made to have boundaries; the sizes of groups of people were calculated and made to have specific numbers. Machinery and blockades were built for defense, the colors of clothing were regulated to differentiate socioeconomic classes, rewards and penalties were meted out to the good and the unworthy. Thus armaments developed and struggle arose; from this there began slaughter of the innocent.

~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~

I think this passage underlines the key problem with distinctions (i.e., property): when we start placing values on different people, objects and ideas, some become more coveted than others and covetousness is the engine of greed.

Modern society is typified by covetousness. Not only do powerful people and businesses own land, buildings, products and services, but we now find these same entities seeking claims to things such as water, seeds, plants and DNA!!

I think that many of the Indian cultures that we white Europeans supplanted on this continent had it right all along. No one person or group can own that which we share in common. To do so is blasphemous. This is why the Great White Father found it difficult to get the tribes to sell them specific parcels of land; in the Indian view, it wasn't theirs to sell!!

This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.