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Comment by autophil | Hacker News Reader

I would argue that the more you own, the more you have to lose and the more vulnerable and fearful you are.

The less you own, and the less reliant you are on others and material possessions, the more at peace and happier you will be.

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Renting a place to live is form of reliance; in this case, the renter is relying on the landowner to maintain the property and allow the renter to live there. Ultimately, we have to choose between what freedoms we want and what freedoms we are willing to sacrifice to live a good life. I've rented for a while because I needed the freedom to move around, and it has been the right choice so far. My parents own a home, and it has been the right choice for them considering that they have settled in one location for a much longer time.

I agree in general, but I think most people are genuinely more at peace and happier when they have a permanent roof over their head at night, in which case it comes down to renting vs. buying. They can still have few material possessions at home. Some of my friends were mobile for years, living out of vehicles, but eventually decided that having an apartment or house is better.

Nothing is permanent in life.

As a counterexample, right now, I'm trapped in a job I don't want, because I signed a large rent (yes, I was dumb, but there weren't any good alternatives, there's a housing bubble in my country too).

I can't quit my job because of the rent. If I were an owner, I'd be able to quit. So, I exchanged one freedom for the other.

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