I was thinking of how I wouldn't want to sell my playstation for anything that it's worth. I hardly ever play on it, I just watch and listen to media I suppose...what is the price we
have to pay for 'rest and relaxation?' Or is it 'play?'
You can parralell that with materialism by saying - are these people buying these products out of an underlining need? You always make the decision whether or not you need something. There's a lot of things people receive from materialism like social acceptance. Western culture is obsessed with the 'cutting edge,' which most of us think is a good thing. I believe there's no question that it is really..
But if people are using materialism to satisfy their own personal...miss-falls ..for lack of better term.
It is used all too much for vanity purposes. The clothing industry, fragrance, furniture, ..even electronics and even cars to an extent. But these same materialistic 'values' can be
used has a healthy expression of what people think is right.
People who spend what they think an item is worth paying is probably okay in most circumstances. Right? Now, on the other hand, people who spent what money they have, no matter the items worth.. it's the amount of money, or currency, they are spending.
Saying materialism shouldn't make you happy is like saying you can't be happy over a shirt you like, why like it, it's a material possession..right? Why use a computer, or video game, even a movie to get your excitement, or relaxation, or a way to control your emotions which is what I think a lot of it is..
People use it to make them happy, so it's not a bad thing - if it makes them happy. If someone has an underlining impulse, or emotional problem they are probably more likely to use materialism to their own advantage by (means of consumerism, which is a vehicle to materialism really, a product of materialism).
It's ingrained in our heads to buy, consumerism is a bad thing. Having materials that make you feel truly more happy - there's nothing wrong with that.
I've thought about this before, and if I look at materialism as a complete bad thing, or even any, really, I should try my best to avoid it. But I saw it is quite possible, just very unrealistic. Take my playstation for instance - I thought about selling it, I never use it, but it wasn't worth the money I could get for it because it's a little broken. Okay, works fine for me, and I use it quite often for music...and some movies from my roommates' Netflix account.
I think it's strange the amount of money I would want out of that. I consider the playstation almost virtually priceless.(almost everything has a price). If I could buy another one, and then what I thought the original was worth, than obviously.
Is selling your materialistic possessions (through the 'vehicle' of consumerism) gives you currency, doesn't that equal material possession to some extent? America especially, has a government that uses capitalism is a direct backbone for consumerism, which are all in the pursuit of materialism, a good thing. It's like sex, or drugs....or almost anything really. An awesome leather couch that looks good, feels super comfortable (you are going to setting in it), and dosen't put you in ANY financial stress, it's perfectly okay. As long as it is relieving your stress rather than adding to it.
Maybe leather couches aren't your thing, or really long posts...but either way, today was the first day I would say that materialism should be 'your thing.'
People have chased the pursuit of materialism for ages. The variety of materialism differs greatly from country and culture, but pretty much every civilized nation has their own form of 'materialism.' Just not to the extent a lot of Western culture, not to mention America has. It's materialism with an inflated ego of some sort...
But we have the choice to use it healthy or not, it's not a bad thing invented by society to what - test - destroy itself? We have the right idea, there's just a hysteria. We are pattern seeking individuals and it really helps us feel more ..secure, perhaps..that we can see the same things in different places, buy them ourselves in most cases (the amount of money is irrelevant), and maybe most importantly - relate? It's supposed to be a way for a society to bond if you ask me, it shouldn't be used for personal gain.
Me selling my playstation would be for money which I would spend on myself. By keeping it, I can entertain my friends - who some aren't nearly as material conscious
I guess. I Hah, never would of described myself that way before this thread. I can also use it for my advantage, and essentially
using it for MY friends is in a way selfish, there's not much more I can do with it. I could sell it for what it's worth and donate the money to charity, but that really wouldn't be making me happy. I don't know if it's been disprove or anything, but there are math equations that state it is better for a person to do what's best for them selves AND others to reach the best result.
Sometimes you have to wear the mask to get into the party. Just don't forget what you look like, everyone else can see you. You can go to the bathroom and lift the mask up and see your bare face, put the mask back on, look at your very slightly covered face. Material possessions don't do a good job masking people's ..self esteem, I guess is what it would be. But you have to realize that you are the same person with or without the 'mask,' and actually, it came from you in the first place. Meaning you can realize it's just a figment of your imagination, and the only true thing going on is people getting together for social interaction that leads to a really good time. But most people don't like going to costume parties (or masquerades) unless they are getting, at least, somewhat intoxicated
They just do that to reach an 'extra good' "good time." It's already great, why not make it better? Or "oh my goodness, the complexity of this is so vast, I should be intoxicated so I don't have to think about it so anxiously, what if I mess up this big cycle?"
Same with materialism. People use it to create a better outcome, in their minds, to buy things that they like, that expresses them not only in society, but in terms of self acceptance of one's decisions, values, and beliefs. If you happen to think that driving a nice car makes people happy, you are probably going to want to drive a nice car, and nobody can blame you.
If good people go to church, you would be a bad person not to. I'm not religious, I'm open to the idea of it, but if I'm going to call myself a religious person, and go as far as subscribe to ONE religion, and that ONE religion tells me I should go to church, and that's what I truly believe, than I would consider myself a bad person.
It's an abused system, but for the MOST part, I think it's healthy. It stimulates our economy and helps us have nicer things like hospitals. We would have to re-wire our whole culture to not produce materialstic things, but still somehow replace that need to
use the value of your work. A lot of cheap psychology tricks where mixed with advertising in the 1920s. Advertising has always followed the sub-conscious path pretty much every since. But materialism was there before that.
Sugar and spice made awful food more palettable in the sixteenth century. I think you could easy call that materialism. You didn't need it to live, just to feel better. It became a symbol of power
Do you think people fought so much over the taste of their food? The Egyptians buried their pharaohs with all sorts of precious material possessions.
I don't believe we will ever grow out of materialism. The greatest cultures have always had it as an attribute. They've also all died out, and we are probably the next in line. We won't grow out of it, it will only change and evolve into something we could never imagine.
So don't be afraid to jump on the Consumerism Train..that happens to be hosting the Materialism Masquerade (capitalism is the theme
). Trains are becoming pretty obsolete, don't worry...there will always be some form of a party though (masquerade) and you can try to never wear you mask, you have it for a reason..you should try it on.
If you didn't read all 12 pages I'm basically saying I've realized that materialism seems
to be a part of expanding cultures and it's to reflect the healthy patterns that a society forms to stay connected. America has too much consumerism which people abuse by using material possesions as a way to deal with stress, in particular, personal insecurities that may vary from person to person, use this 'abuseable' consumerist system.
Consumerism isn't that bad, it's just another way of handling a societies materialistic "longing." It's meant to make only the consumers who are a part of the system benefit. Which isn't a new concept in government to do only what's best for the people who cooperate.
It is very flawed, but it's what a lot of us have to work with. So I was saying something along the lines of, you might as well ride the consumerist train until you we find something better to travel the road of 'healthy' materialism - something much more efficient will come along. Either way, it's going to be much more efficient than walking.
Even if a group of people walked together to reach the same societal 'reasoning,' the train (of consumerism
) would still travel much further distances, probably too much to catch up to. Unless they crashed in front of you, then what are you doing walking?! You need to be finding the new road to materialism!
It's going to be a long process. Some very influential people(s). We may have isolated ideas that may work better than consumerism, but the trick is to figure out what the possibilities are of consumerism evolving into. It could get much worse, or better depending on how it's handled.
We will never drop it. It makes too many people feel way too safe. It's going to have to be slowly weaned off, and disguised as another vehicle similar to consumerism to guide us to 'healthy materialism.'
Which I believe is dealing with the idea, prospect, or urge, whatever you want to call it, that materialism is a true phenomena. Realize the fact, it makes people and it breaks people, some are much less effected by it either way. It's very powerful to say the least. It must be respected.
<-- That is for anyone who read this entire post.