I fully understand your point of view - but in my opinion paying mortgage and putting effort into your house/apartment is a kind of an investment and it's still way better than renting. Assuming worst case scenario, you can always sell your property, get (at least part of) your money back and pay off the mortgage.
In terms of renting - you're just trading your money for a right to have a roof over your head.
What a great time to be alive. Born too late to explore Earth. Born too early to explore the Cosmos. Born just in time to exist in dreadful remnants of the past of exploitive feudal system.