Who Owns the Land?

 

A Catholic University professor in economics has an article in the Kyeongyang magazine on Who owns the land? One can not consider ownership of man-made goods the same as ownership of land.

 In 1879  Henry George  an American  political economist wrote Progress and Poverty which became  very popular. He describes how prosperity from technological advances increases rather than alleviates poverty. Adam Smith, David Ricardo, John Stuart Mill and the other classical economists considered land important but not in the degree seen by Henry George. He was considered to have completed their ideas on the importance of land.

Henry George found despite the growth of material prosperity the cause of poverty was the increase of the land rent, and the periodic  speculation on land value. Even after 140 years this holds true even today.

In what would be the  seventh chapter of Progress and Poverty he considers the justice surrounding the ownership of land and the problems that arise when using the  word real estate. According to him, it prevents us from distinguishing between buildings produced by human labor and land that exists independently of human effort. The land and buildings are two different entities but the same name is used for both and both are treated in the same way.

According to George buildings are the result of man's labor and those who build have the right of  ownership; land  is not the work of our hands and is independent of humans and we do not have absolute right over the land. The recognition of a right to the land, as the same as the right to a building that is the product of human labor, results in the denial of a legitimate right of those that labor.

In the last few years real estate prices have skyrocketed and we have the serious problem with unearned income. The logic that people who have enjoyed a lot of profits from rising real estate prices oppose the return of unearned income is the principle of private property. The constitution in Korea recognizes private property, real estate was bought at a fair price, so it's all mine! 

Is this kind of thinking justified? They consider this a 'golden rule' but does it fit into the principle of  private ownership. Don't be swayed by self interest that are bound to accompany us in our thoughts. Let's try to be rational.

What is the reason for the the price of real estate to go up? Did the price of the building go up? If it was not inflation or the cessation of the building boom,   the price of the labor has not gone up. Look at the price of a second hand car the price of any thing made with labor the longer it is used the price goes down.

The price of real estate goes up because of the value of land goes up. In an apartment in the the wealthiest part of Seoul if it was built in the same way in the  country you don't have an increase in the price. It is precisely the location of the building and the demand that raises the price.

The land in itself has nothing to do with human labor  and the good location has nothing to do with the owner. Therefore, the recognition of absolute ownership granted to general products of labor that are transferred to land and location directly violates the principle of private property. Consequently landowners who make no effort, earn what other producers deserve in return for their efforts and sacrifices. In truth a person who respects the principle of private property the unearned value that arises from the land should be used for other who don't have use of the land.

Consequently the use of the private property is not absolute.What does the Scriptures say about this? God made the land. If we deny this we are not Christians. God is the owner of all the land.

In Leviticus chapter 25:23, "Land must not be sold in perpetuity, for the land belongs to me, you are only strangers and guests." 

There will be Christians who will sit back and earn 1 billion to 2 billion won due to the recent real estate craze.Even if one did not actively participate in speculation, it is a Christians' right attitude to think strange the phenomenon of a huge amount of money entering their possession in a short period of time without any effort.That is, if you oppose the government's policy to block and redeem some of the unearned income by supporting the principle of private property, we are denying our true identity. Are Christians not those who believe in God's creation and the cross of Jesus?

 

 

Facing Death Calmly

 In the Catholic Times column in Theology Looks At the World, a priest director of a research Institute gives the readers some thoughts on growing old.

■ Looking at the aging body
 

He becomes more and more conscious of age and thinking about death; finds signs of extinction and death in everything. The excitement of starting the new year has disappeared, and it is doesn't help his spirit to see the calendar days go. Hope and expectation for the future disappear. He is  always the same age in consciousness, but the  body has to  endure the weathering of time. The physical strength to study is not the same as before, and the body begins to revolt all over. However, he is  grateful and proud of his body for dragging him through  life. Even an old body that becomes uncomfortable in the eyes of others and the world, he continues to love and appreciate.

Old age means  the body ages. It is regrettable that reading is no longer what it was, the general weakening of the senses, and the decline of the body's balance and control ability,  prevents one  from doing what he used to do. The old body is excluded from the gaze of others. It is sometimes an object of disgust. Of course, today's world is becoming a little more tolerant of old age and the old body. Still, it is a sad state of life.


■ Living is a feast for the senses 

As we grow older, we realize the importance of our bodies. It is often said that the spirit and soul are more important. Philosophy and theology have emphasized spirit and soul more than body. But at least in this life, the spirit and soul do not exist without the body. The body is the place and foundation of the spirit and soul.

The body contains all  the senses. We see,  hear, taste, touch, and smell. Our lives feel  alive through the senses. More than the sense of desire but of vitality. Death means the loss of this sense. Death  is sad because one no longer sees, hears, tastes, touches, and smells.

A Korean poet in his recent collection: "Even if it's just for one day," is full of regret that the joy of sensation disappears with death. The sense that the poet loved was, above all, the joy of hearing and sight. Inside the collection of poems, there is still a lot of joy in listening to music, gazing at the landscapes of various places in traveling in his car and the scenery of objects encountered in daily life.

We are alive as long as we have sensation. It is lonely and sad to grow old, and there are fears of death. However, walking on the path of old age in faith is the path to completion.

■ To grow old in faith

Old age shrinks the body and mind.

He gets rid of many outer artificiality and sometimes tries to pose as other-worldly but realizes it's just a fleeting bluff. It is still difficult to embrace old age calmly and with grace. A believer is a person who relates daily life to the story of Jesus as one's starting point. However, it is not easy to find the implications of old age in the story of Jesus. In the tradition of faith, one has no choice but to learn from the good people of faith who have wisely faced old age and death.

Romano Guardini emphasized internal and religious acceptance of aging. Whether young, middle-aged, retirement age,  or old, every generation has its own style and value. It is hard for a generation who plans for life and prepares for the future to think about God. At the end of life, we think of the whole context of our lives. Old age should be a time to look back on the context of life with courage and honesty. And most of all, it should be a time to face the meaning and value of death. Death means extinction in this world, but on the other hand, religious completion. We  hope that walking on the path of old age in faith is the way to completion, and determined to live with joy. 

■ Facing death the way you have lived

Still, growing old is lonely and sad. We are afraid of extinction. Reason and Will give meaning and value to old age and death, but emotions don't easily follow our rational reflections and willpower. Memories of the past come to mind like perfume.

But I don't want to live with memories of the past. If youth was a time with five talents, old age may be a time of only one talent. I don't want to live in the way  of the foolish servant that envies five talents and hides the one talent in the ground without doing anything (Matt. 25,14-30). He hope that the time of old age will also have its own role and meaning.

You should study, reflect, and continue your daily routine until the moment you die. If life is not beautiful, death will not be  beautiful. A man will die in the way and manner he has lived. Life and death are always connected. If you live today with faith, you will live with  faith tomorrow. Even if tomorrow is the day of death.