Self-ownership

"When a society adopts the rule of self-ownership, then mankind as a group makes headway faster and easier. This is not only because each individual can flourish better... It is also because such a rule is consistent with free markets and cooperative behavior. In fact, self-ownership and free markets are implied by each other. Given self-ownership, we can expect free markets to occur given that people benefit from trade because of specialization. Conversely, where markets are free, people are able to exchange and produce freely, which means that they have self-ownership. All of the many virtues of free markets and property rights, detailed by many writers, are support for the axiom of self-ownership.
Mankind's choice is clear: self-ownership or non-self-ownership. With self-ownership comes individual flourishing, free markets, cooperation, and learning. Without self-ownership comes suppression of the individual, controlled exchange, greater conflict, and a dulled spirit. Without self-ownership comes a regimented society."

-Michael S. Rozeff, Professor of Finance at the University at Buffalo.

There are two types of slavery: slavery to the superego, and slavery to the ego. Consumerism does not bring true Self-ownership; at most it brings ego-ownership. Western individualistic capitalism has delivered much on a material level, and can justifiably congratulate itself on having outdone the communist experiment, on that level, but it is increasingly based on consumerism which, by pandering more and more to human desires and weaknesses, erodes free will. To have free will one must be free of desires, because desires become conditionings. The notion of individual selves is increasingly doubted by science. There are no individual owners of selves.