In essence, how materialistic are you in what you own and your desires? I know that people say that they learn things or have ego loss or self-realizations, but has using DMT, Mescaline, Mushrooms, or other psychs affected what you keep, what you buy, why you buy, etc. because of the things you've experienced/learned? Have they made you more open to keeping things and provding nostalgia and even hoard, or have they made you see that many things are unnecessary and to reduce what you have? I've always wondered this but never heard anyone talk about it.

In addition, what is your mentality on what you own and how much?

I'm a minimalist in my owning of items and lifestyle so I try to keep only what I need or use often. Everything else is viewed as a luxury (not that luxuries are bad, but many are not necessary).

Good topic..

I would LIKE to say I'm not that materialistic, but I know it's not really true.

I am less materialistic than the average person for sure, but I still have my cell phone, macbook, xbox, tv, etc etc.

Psychedelic use has definitely changed my habits in what I think money should actually be spent on, that's for sure.

I try not to waste my time with garbage items that have no meaning and instead focus on things that will give me a great experience (festivals, shows, hanging w/ friends) and things that I believe are "worthy" to spend money on (purchasing logic pro 9 to make music, getting a new DJ board so I can DJ, gas for my car, etc.)

So yeah my mentality on what I own is that I'm doing it right at the present time. I like to have my TV and xbox and such, and even had these items before using psychedelics, so I obviously kept them. Plus who doesn't like to play a game now and again? I also feel that I am very conservative with spending, and try to treat myself sparingly..so that when I do "treat" myself, it's actually a treat. If you know what I'm saying.

I love some of my material goods(instruments for example), but I try not to be attached to them. Materialism turns ugly when attachment comes into the picture.

I own very little and I have no real attachment to any of it. The only exception is my computer, I would probably be a little distressed if I lost that... but when it comes to clothes, trinkets, DVD's and whatever other little bits and pieces people generally own I either don't have it, don't care about it or had it and either lost it or gave it away. Half of my clothes are clothes that I ended up with from friends houses (i.e go out wearing one thing, come back wearing another... but not in a "theft" kinda way), and half of my clothes that I owned have been left at houses or just lost.

Stuff comes and goes, none of it is particularly important. My attachment to my computer isn't so much attachment to the physical box or the cost of it, it is attachment to the intellectual stimulation provided by having the internet, I'm not sure if that still qualifies as a material attachment.

I started smoking weed at 13 and progressed from there, I'm assuming that drugs shaped my current worldview to an extent... but I don't really have much to base that on since I have no idea how I would view things had drugs not been a factor in my growing up. Certainly as a child younger than 13 I was very interested in toys and "things", but all kids are aren't they.

I sorta own the bare essentials + some fun tech. I'm not the guy who has 20 hats or a bunch of jerseys and video games and shit. It makes me think a lot more about choosing what I materials I do use/buy. I usually only shop online and with a minimum of 2 hours research on the product if it's over $100. By the end I'm a mini-guru on the subject and have usually found a better/cheaper model of whatever I need.

I don't think there's a problem with material goods or even wealth. It's the idiots that let themselves be sold a burger from every different joint when they could have sat at home fasting to build their own solar powered grill.

Marketing has evolved to kind of eliminate the choice from the average consumer. Half of them are addicted to consuming things that don't even satisfy their cravings.

I am extremely materialistic. I love all my stuff.

I have a fair bit of stuff and am guilty of hoarding. Although I do like to get top mileage out of everything I own. I've been using the same backpack since 2003 and the zips have been broken since 2006. Crotch holes in your jeans? Not a problem! If you can wear it and it doesn't fall off, then it's not broken

Oh and if anything, DMT added to my materialism ie. Glass vials, scales, GVG.

I sometimes wonder how many air miles my use of this molecule has cost the planet. Though I tend to not order internationally if I can help it.

I went through a few phases on this. Before dmt I was extremely materialistic, All I cared about was acquiring wealth and possessions, my main goal in life was to become rich for the purpose of elevating myself above other people. I've always had expensive taste and have always had very nice 'stuff'. After dmt I became somewhat of a hippy, realized that stuff wasn't what is important, I realized that being a good person is what its all about.

Now that Ive had all of these spiritual experiences and lots of time to think about it I realize that the world is in fact my oyster and Its my birthright to have whatever I want if I'm willing to put in the effort. If I want something I'll get it and not feel bad about it in the least. By achieving greatness in all aspects of life and accumulating wealth one is in a much better position to help other people and the planet.

I say go for it, as long as your doing your part to help other people and the world you live in you should be able to indulge yourself in all the cool stuff this planet has to offer.

(I'm well aware that buying 'stuff' made of plastic of other synthetic material could be considered bad for the environment. just make sure that what you put in is as much or more than what you take out and your fine as far as I'm concerned. )

I certainly don't consider myself too materialistic. I grew up poor and with nothing, and the idea of getting a bunch of money and stuff was absolutely not anywhere on my radar. I've never owned a car or anything more expensive than my $200 used bicycle (well, more like $500 with incremental upgrades ) . I don't really consider all the grow lights, fans and whatnot illuminating the basement garden materialistic things, they put food on the table and keep the roof over my head. (Aside: I use a lot of electricity for the garden, 3 600's watters, a 400, and miscellaneous LEDs, plus the fans, and portable AC unit in the flower room. But it seems my absurd use of electricity is still BELOW the average family home--how crazy is that? I went to pay my bill last month and was amazed that the lady's bill ahead of me was more than mine by like twenty bucks. What the hell are Americans doing that require so much power? I know my excuse, but damn. )

I do have a 1.5 terabyte external hard drive with waaaaay too much entertainment and a ps3 (used) . That's about it for fancy tech. My computer is so old it can't even support iTunes. I have a lot of books, but would that be considered materialistic stuff? I suppose it's all a balancing act.

In a pinch, everything I need can fit in a backpack. I suppose that's the test, yes? If you lost everything you "own", how would you feel about it? I wouldn't really care. I've lost it all several times and in the end it was for the best. I trust the process, for my goal in life has absolutely nothing, nothing, NOTHING to do with material. My goal in life can be achieved as a homeless beggar on the streets of Cambodia.

Sure, I guess I am a little materialistic. Who isn't to some extent? The main things I would be gutted if I lost would be my record collection and my menagerie of snakes (do pets constitute material 'possessions'?) - everything else is replaceable / I could live without. I wear clothes until the are no longer wearable, I have had the same backpack for 12 years for instance, and try to make sure I use tools etc until the are no longer usable, so i am not a wasteful person - in fact I seriously dislike wasting things, which does result in me being a bit of a hoarder...

Very materialistic. I hord stuff and can't let go of it.
I'm only buying what's necessary though. But that might be related to my financial situation. But since i was never well situated and propably never will be, there is no way to find out.

I want comfort, security and space for myself and my family. I'm also really a fiend about privacy and personal space, which is why we have 36 acres in the middle of nowhere. But I don't think of myself as "owner" of this land, that's downright silly. It'll be here long after we're all gone.

We have an old car that works well, even though we could afford a new one. But I'm waiting for someone to make a solar powered hovercraft.

No TV. Not for over 20 years.

The last relationship I was in before my current one (20 years and counting) was with a very materialistic person. We watched a lot of TV. And you know what? I got really sucked into it, started worrying about what impression my car made on others. Thankfully I escaped in time. Now, when I do catch any TV, I am amazed at how saturated it is with consumer/obedience messages. It pays to be free of that.

I can be extremely un-materialistic. If someone brought me into a store and offered to buy me anything that I wanted on the spot, I wouldn't know what to buy. Sure I like the things I have, as someone said before, like my instruments. Other than that I feel very detached from most of my physical desires.

I'm somewhat materialistic, probably, according to some people. I don't want to acquire a lot of things, but what I do have I want to be high quality and long lasting to prevent more consumerism. I'm pretty sure if I won the lottery I'd have the biggest perfume and vinyl record collections possible. However, I'm also somewhat obsessed with minimalism and would rather have fewer items that I completely love rather than an assortment of mediocrity.

I have a weird mix of things... I don't have too much normal stuff for a kid my age, no cell phone or music player, no fancy speakers or all that jazz... I think the only thing I'm attached to is my computer, and that because of the movies/music/papers/art/games that are on it. There was a point when I started using psychedelics where I said 'fuck it!' and sold/gave away most of my stuff from my life thus far.

On the other hand, I do have some inherently materialistic hobbies, like medieval reenactment, which ****in' involves getting some random stuff!

Define materialism: I have things and i enjoy using them - for the use of them, not the possession of them. This to me is not materialistic.

Having a sports car because you like driving is not the same thing as having a sports car because possessing it makes you feel good, or because you feel good because of what its ownership inspires in others (respect, envy, admiration...)

By this definition, and because I could easily do without the material possessions I own, I do not consider myself "materialistic".

Use and appreciation of use (again not because that use inspires in you a false sense of pride because of others' reaction to your ownership), is NOT, IMO, materialistic.

A man in a castle who would be just as happy in a tent is not materialistic by virtue of his ownership of the castle.

cheers,

JBArk

I really don't like to own too much stuff. I tend to get rid of everything I don't see myself use in the future. I either give things away or throw and many times I regret that the next day when I need exactly what I got rid of the day before (or the week before)

I just like to have few things but good things of quality that lasts. I know some of my family think I'm a bit of a snob because I like quality. But that's for the quality itself, not social status. I for example drive a Mercedes I just love those cars, they are good to drive and last good.

And I have quite a lot of tools and I tend to buy expensive professional tools because I love to work with good tools. I like to buy one that lasts a lifetime than to be always buying some crap.

Maybe she grows too?




Interesting definition of materialism. I'm not sure mine matches. I would consider the man in the castle materialistic if he bought a castle he didn't need. Does he need 40 bedrooms? Does he need a cavalry of hunting dogs? I certainly won't say that I'm the arbiter of what someone needs, but I think he'd have a bit of an argument to make.

What do you have that you really NEED? Most people eat far more food than they need. And if you are living on more than about, say, 400 sq feet of real estate, you probably have more than you need. So yes, i agree - nor will I be the arbiter of what someone needs.

One man's castle...

Cheers,

JBArk

yeah i live pretty basically. in fact the thing i'm probably most materialistic with in a way is spice .. always making sure i've got enough o' that