The new age of materialism

We live a world where people have an excessive desire to acquire and consume material goods in order to pursue the “GOOD LIFE”. Im not sure if this issue is a new thing, maybe it existed long before us, but I’m certainly sure that its increasing rapidly and becoming a social problem in your society. There is a growing perception that happiness and gratification is increased through buying, spending and acquiring material wealth. But on contrary, there is strong evidence that at an individual level, the more material goals matter to people, the more unhappy they are likely to be.  Many young Men and women are willing to do just about anything to gain purchasing power or advantage over their peers including stealing,  falling into debt  and sleeping with older men/women with superior material power. There have been many reports in the media about fraudsters involved in various get-rich-quickly schemes in order to acquire materials to able to live an extravagant lifestyle.

Even young women want the easy way out, marrying/dating rich/wealthy and not of love. There is even a popular saying that says “It’s not your fault/choice if your father is poor, but it will be your fault/choice if your husband is poor”. Many Women assess the possibility of material gain and benefits before they enter a relationship and very few consider the LOVE element in the equation.  

Society is even linking the new phenomenon of passion killings to materialism, were many men are going on a killing spree with the notion that he has invested too much resources, money and time, psychological and emotional wellbeing into a dead-end relationship and are not willing to terms of a separation. People are of the perception that women are too materialistic and demand too much material goods; this is how ever not justifiable to murder someone in cold blood, in fact nothing is! But I do tend to agree that the era of materialism that has grasped many, is putting too much strain on relationships among lovers, friends and family members.

I’m not saying that one should not aspire or work hard to find and purchase materials you would like to acquire. The point I’m trying to make is that your desire and the love there of should not be excessive and or obsessive. We need to find a balance between a pursuit of materials and happiness. Many people in our society measure/evaluate their value in the community by what they possess and what they can buy. Society has made us to believe that the worth and success of others is not only judged by their wisdom or kindness, but also according to whether they have the “right” lifestyle, car, clothes, and friend. But the question is what determines Right in this context? Is it material wealth?

Before divert away from the topic let me just conclude by saying that don’t fall into the materialism trap. Learn to be an individual; don’t let materials define you and your character.  Just because someone looks or smells good doesn’t make them a better person. Materialism breeds envy, self-loath, dishonesty, selfishness, emotional and physiological instability. Humility should be part of your inner encore of your character, your being and your actions. Let us not breed a culture of materialism; the consequences will be detrimental to our society and wellbeing. We need to teach our selves delayed gratification.