When matters are out of your hands, how do you feel? What do you do (or not do)? (Serendipity Bible Fourth Edition, page 551).
Last year I sold my house and moved into a retirement community where I rent. One of my greatest pleasures now is being without the responsibilities of home ownership–it the roof leaks, an appliance breaks, or termites invade it is not my responsibility. I think most homeowners (as I did) become accustomed to the burden of home ownership and are only dimly aware of the extent of its ever-present psychological pressures and burdens–that is, until something specific breaks...or until they get old and sell. In short, as it now stands, if termites invade my previous home, it is (gladly and thankfully) out of my hands.
Ironically, property ownership despite its pressures also relieves one of responsibilities and concurrently accelerates focus on self. This home, one can perceive, is my responsibility and NO OTHERS. Thus private property, like renting, opens the door to preponderant emphasis on private interest rather than public interest. From this perspective, taxes levied for public purposes is tantamount to the theft of private property. As always, social structure high and low trumps the power of the Golden rule with its expansive social gospel implications.
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