Materialism according to the Oxford Dictionary, literally means the tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than the spiritual values of an individual.
In the 21st century, humans have openly become more materialistic and status conscious compared to in the past, because worldly desires and possessions have always been man’s first requirement and pleasure but with the ever increasing developments this urge has increased in us. Now we seem to be inclined more towards material gains and things rather than intellectual or spiritual pursuits.
There was a period when life was quiet simple and devoid of any hypocrisy, humans were more caring and thoughtful of each other rather than judging a person on the basis of their material possessions, the criteria was far more straightforward: Education, discipline and training were at the core of our focus. People lived simply and did not judge others so critically. They had less requirements and needs to fulfill. They dressed up in a simple manner, ate simple unadulterated food, lived in plain houses the size of which was usually dependent on their needs and social positions.
With the passage of time and as the human population increased, so did our need for commodities thus, leading to awareness amongst us about the plethora of fancy brands and labels.
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These days there are so many brands available in the market, adding to it all is the media exposure and social websites where all the information is easily accessible thanks to the advancements in technology. So multitudes of things are within one’s reach through the internet, making us think about material objects most of our time. We start earning money keeping materialistic goals in our minds, such as to attain fancy gadgets, items etc. Most of our energy and positive time ends up being consumed in thinking about how to acquire and reach out for expensive, desirable items.
In this technologically advanced world that we reside in now, we have grown accustomed to the fast lifestyle it promotes. We have unconsciously become stuck in this vicious cycle, with no way out, where we have to attain for bigger, better and more everyday. Everyday, we wake up, go to work to earn money, come back home, watch advertisements about all the new material there is out there to be attained and then go on to buy it.
Take for example a new cell phone, when it was first introduced back in the day, people would try to maintain one phone for many years, but then came the smartphone with new models coming every few months or years, and now we change our phones on a yearly basis regardless of its condition, because we feel the need to acquire the latest model as soon as it’s launched so that we can compete with our neighbors, friends and/or other loved ones who may have it as well.
However, the true question that arises here is why materialism is so detrimental?
Why is it concerning if one wants to acquire more things in their life? You must be wondering what’s wrong in wanting more or having greater goals?
The thing is, having greater materialistic goals wouldn’t be that fulfilling or satisfying at the end, having a big home and an expensive car wouldn’t leave you feeling whole at the end, in comparison to owning a normal sized home and a normal car, but a loving and supporting family.
REMEMBER: The problem with having materialistic goals is that once fulfilled you wouldn’t know what else to do in life, leading to what you may call your ‘mid-life crisis.’
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Hence, you need another motive, another reason, another goal than just the materialistic possessions to keep you going.
REMEMBER: Materialism turns anything and everything in life into a competition and no, I’m not talking about healthy competition, rather it introduces the toxic type of competition which makes your relationships fake and superficial.
Once you get caught up in this desire of achieving more, other things seem less important to you and that is dangerous because then you want to have a bigger house or a better car than your friends or siblings, you want to have a fully branded closet otherwise what would that girl in your school think about you? You want to have the most expensive Rolex watch or else your friends would think you’re not that wealthy.
While, there is nothing wrong with wanting the latest or the best, this has a very negative impact on our lives because it leads to unnecessary pressures and problems, it leads us to harbor feelings of jealousy as we cannot be truly happy for others and it tends to become a cause for bullying amongst peers et cetera.
[bs-quote quote=”Feelings of inadequacy and various insecurities creep up into our lives hence, leading to an increased rate of mental illnesses like anxiety and depression.” style=”style-17″ align=”center” color=”#dd0000″ author_name=”Mehreen Saqib” author_job=”Blogger & Influencer”][/bs-quote]
The fourteenth Dalai Lama, who is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and in the tradition of Bodhisattva, has spent his life committed to benefiting humanity has often spoken against love for material things, and in favor of spending money for the betterment of humanity.
In today’s materialistic world there is a risk of people becoming slaves to money, as though they were simply cogs in a huge money-making machine. This does nothing for human dignity, freedom, and genuine well-being. Wealth should serve humanity, and not the other way around.
— Dalai Lama (@DalaiLama) March 12, 2018
Why do we evaluate a person by his status and wealth? Where are the values, etiquette and ethics gone? What are our moral values now?
‘Respect’ is now a word attached only to the wealthy, the bourgeoise, to those who possess the most material wealth. It no longer resides with the compassionate, the caring, the intellectual. If one aims to gain respect amongst his/her peers, he/she needs to earn excessive amount of money by whichever means possible and suddenly one day, he/she will find him/herself adored by all those who once loathed him.
The saying that we have become slaves to money is true because we are drawn to money as a moth is to flame. Think about it for a moment, are you fine with money and mere items holding so much power over you? Ask yourself when the balance tips and when we have became the slaves of our desire to attain inanimate objects have we truly become the rulers or are we in fact, the ruled?
In my opinion, a merit of a person lies in his/her moral conduct, his/her code of behavior and his/her ethics. These are the virtues that signify a person and make him stand out. The criteria for giving respect to others should not be their material objects and status, what you should be looking for in a person is their nature, habits and education, not the amount of wealth they possess or the post they hold in an office. For more on this topic, watch my video on YouTube at Mehreen’s Corner to learn some simple and easy steps of minimizing materialism from our lives.
REMEMBER: It is time to create love and respect for people rather than for their worldly possessions.
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