How much blood has been spilled over land?

How much blood has been spilled over land? How many lives have been lost over land? Literally fighting for land. They say that land is a natural resource. Land, labor, and capital are distinguishable in basic economics as factors of production. But you can’t claim land any more than you can claim the air you breathe or the water you drink. To own something means it belongs to you. Therefore, you possess it and do with it as you please. Yet, you can not claim to own something that you yourself belong to, and that was here long before, and will be here long after you or I.

Land is sand, soil, dust, mud, dirt, or grass. People can control or manipulate land with tools and labor. Yet, at the same time, doesn’t land need rain for trees, plants, and food to grow. Doesn’t land need the sun to provide energy to feed the entire ecosystem of plant species, which in turn feeds animals, insects, and so on. You do not control the sun at your whim and tell it when to rise. You don’t control the clouds at your whim to disseminate water. You don’t control the insects that pollinate flowers. So, who is really in control? And what harm will you cause when you disrupt the autonomy of other living things or the natural order.

Some people’s minds become twisted and backward with their relationship to the Earth due to misinterpretations and the influence of scriptures or their upbringing. Why become extremely attached to this land or that land? Is it because land is the basis to produce all that there is for subsistence? Is it because the land is “limited” or in “short supply” and therefore valuable?

When Prophet Muhammad once stood in one spot, people turned fanatics and worshiped that spot then made it sacred. When he kissed the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad) in Mecca, now every one of his followers wanted to kiss it to pay their respects. Could it be simply a stone? Is it honorable, maybe? But it does not prove your piety. People lose their minds over an area or a regular stone, not knowing that the entire Earth and the Universe are sacred and that it is not specific to any region, artifact, or group of people.

Everything, Everywhere, and Everyone is sacred and therefore to be respected provided they do no harm. The Earth’s resources do not always need to be purchased and sold like a commodity. It could be shared amongst everyone free of charge. The land is plentiful. It could be shared or divided up and not solely be the claim of any specific group of people.