Who owns the planet Earth? This universal question, to our knowledge and surprise, has never been posed until now. Why? We can only hazard a guess. Maybe it has been taken for granted that our planet cannot possibly belong to anyone except its Creator. Or maybe no one has dared to ask this question for fear of being branded a lunatic. Or maybe the query has simply escaped man’s attention or discernment until now.

But, again, why ask the question? We have to ask the question because it has become pretty obvious that man’s failure early on to pose this query and get an indubitable answer has spawned his territorial acquisitiveness and lust for power.

Indeed, if no man, clan, nation, or race owns the planet Earth, then it is surely up for grabs. Past and present wars over territories bear out this observation. No wonder global peace has eluded man since the beginning of his existence on this planet! He has always been preoccupied with fighting either to defend his territory or to expand it in order to build an empire. His motivation has been the conviction that the world is his to conquer since no one has a righful claim to it. This is the raison d‘etre of imperialism!

And the greater tragedy is not the ongoing bloodletting over territories in many countries across the globe but the fact that there seems to be no end in sight to this folly of man due to his ignorance of the cause of his despicable behaviour.

It is our thesis that human disunity is rooted in our failure to determine who owns the planet Earth and that global peace can only be attained if all men will come to recognize and respect its real owners. We are convinced that the sooner we address this concern, the sooner human conflicts will cease and peace and brotherhood among men will reign.

Hence, it is imperative that we ask the universal question now: Who owns the planet Earth?

Our answer: All human beings collectively own the planet Earth!

We can prove this by simple logic:
» All men came from the same Source.
» All men came into this world without any possession.
» Which implies that all men are meant to live off this planet which, not surprisingly, has been amply provided with all their needs.
» Which implies that this planet has been specially created to be the temporary home of all men.
» Which leads to the conclusion that all men “temporarily own” the planet Earth.

This conclusion further implies that:
» Every human being is a co-owner or part-owner of the planet Earth;
» Every human being has the right to live off its bounty;
» Every human being has the right to claim for himself and his family a piece of the planet on which to build a home.
» Every human being has the duty, as co-owner of Earth, to preserve its healthful condition.

This is the universal answer to our universal question:

Co-ownership of Earth is a God-given right of every man! No other human being, no human aggrupation, no government can deny him that right!

But, today, reality paints a grim picture of millions and millions of landless, homeless people across the globe who live in dehumanizing conditions due to man’s sheer ignorance of or refusal to recognize the right of co-ownership of Earth!

One is suffused with the most profound sense of awe and regret when his mind ponders the possibilites of what-might-have-been had the great philosophers of all ages actively advocated the co-ownership-of-Earth right of man.

Certainly, the story of man would have read differently. Slavery would not have been practised and institutionalized for so long a time! Battles and wars with the consequent destruction of life and product of man’s genius would have been fought rarely or not at all! Global hunger, poverty, armed conflicts, and terrorism in many parts of the world would have been unheard of in our generation.

What a different world we would have had today! Today we would have had the everlasting gift of awakening each morning to a more serene and glorious world!

But it is not too late. It is never too late until man loses hope and reason. Still, the hour is late. The writing on the wall is there for all to see:

• The escalation of violence in many countries; 
• The race to stockpile conventional as well as nuclear weapons; and 
• The use of the unconventional and deadly method of inflicting military and civilian casualties through suicide bombers.

These are signs of a confrontation that is becoming more and more desperate.

Yes, the hour is late; it is time to act before irrationality and hopelessness take over and inveigle somebody into pushing the nuclear button!

But what can we do? Is there something we can do?