Emerson Materialism

The relationship between our identities and possessions remains on going. In fact, Joan Kron elaborates on that matter in her essay The Semiotics of Home Décor and mentions how we barely know what is actually beyond our home décor and possessions (74). Kron argues that our possessions and home décor grants us with various aims that cater to our human needs “Our possessions give us a sense of security and stability. They make us feel in control…we use things to compete.” (75). Also, Kron talks about status and how its vitality is depicted through our possessions. Something as simple as the price tag, the originality and rareness of the object and its competence can say something about our status. With this in mind, Kron asserts that “Some objects

People chase wealth and prosperity so they can buy items they think they need and will enjoy, whether it be an iPod or latest game console. Eighner’s idea of the transience of material living is that in the end material possessions are meaningless. Eighner has learnt through his loss of these items that life experience and knowledge will outlast any tangible item, he states “some material things are white elephants that eat up the possessor’s substance” (568). Eighner argues that materialistic objects themselves are not as important as the sentiments behind them. The fact that Eighner can survive and live happily off others’ waste effectively persuades the reader to reflect and ask questions of themselves.

“It’s not what you own its what people think you own” (Ewen 183). Consumerism is fueling today’s “middle class”. Stewart Ewen’s “Chosen People” goes into detail about the rise of the materialistic middle class.

The ability to have ownership over something, tangible or not, can give a person a sense of value or superiority when comparing themselves to others. Furthermore, as humans, it is easy to desire things as one’s own and claim it, but the way something is treated differs from person to person. As a result, the material items and skills a person has ownership over provides a glimpse of his or her’s true nature.

Many people who have a lot of possessions are often unhappy, they feel empty. You might wonder why this is true, but the love of things can not replace love itself. Many of those who do not have a lot are

Once you own something, don't you care more about it (just because it is yours). Think about it, if your friend has a new Xbox One you are still going to take care of it. But, if you own a new Xbox One, aren't you going to take care of it more carefully? Just because it is yours, you are going to be more careful and care about it a lot more. Owning something, takes control of who you are. The more you own, the more stressed out you are going to be, because you care about more things more

Transcendentalist author, Henry David Thoreau sees materialism as the destruction of society and one’s mind. He articulates this in Walden, “Cultivate poverty like a garden herb, like sage. Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends. Turn the old; return to them. Things do not change; we change. Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts. God will see that you do not want society.” These strong views from Thoreau are not subject only to him, fellow transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson shares similar views from Self-Reliance, “Men have looked away from themselves and at things so long that they have come to esteem the religious, learned and civil institutions as guards of property, and they deprecate assaults on these, because they feel them to be assaults on property. They measure their esteem for each other by what each has, and not by what each is.” These two influential thinkers agree that materialism is ruining civilization and free thinking.

Emerson quotes the Caliph Ali to show these types of people spend their lives “seeking after…thy lot,” allowing material desire to overshadow their true goals in life (Emerson 37). When materialistic people go to each others’ homes, “they measure their esteem of each other by what each has,” showing how they value material wealth over human relationships (Emerson 37). Like Emerson, Thoreau also shows how property encourages immoral and selfish behavior. For Thoreau, someone who lets “money…obtain [property] for him,” will experience “no great virtue [in] obtain[ing] it” because he has done nothing to earn the land (Thoreau 10). This “rich man,” in Thoreau’s opinion, “is always sold to the institution which makes him rich” because conforming to institutions helps satisfy his material desires (Thoreau 10). By introducing the individual to capitalism, property clouds his true values, rooting his behavior in materialism rather than virtue.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character." This quote is a belief that your beliefs show innermost self. Emerson believes that your thoughts and ideas of the world reflect your true self. I agree that your mental outlook of the world is a representation of your real character. Regardless of whether or not you expressed those thoughts and ideas out loud, they still show your true colors. Opinions are just another way of showing the world who you really are. Your attitude on the certain topics and people, marks your stance on the world and show your true beliefs.

People who are driven by greed end up focusing on what they do not have instead of being grateful for what they do have. This is relevant in the short story “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant because Mathilde Loisel ends up losing everything she owns just because she lets greed drive her decisions and get the best of her. When receiving an invitation to an extravagant ball, she declines because she says she does not have anything nice to wear. In the beginning of the short story she says, “There is nothing more humiliating than looking poor in the middle of a lot of rich women.(Maupassant).” The reader sees how she puts value in possessions and what others think of her. After finding a dress and then borrowing a necklace that she thought

In this quote, Henry David Thoreau exposes the false connotation luxury evokes. While many associate luxury with comfort and recognition of elevated status, Thoreau argues that these luxuries over-complicate life. Specifically, the complications occurring along the way of our vain attempt to attain “luxury” ultimately destroy us and our ability to fulfill true contentment with our lives. Today, the events occurring in our materialistic society support Thoreau’s claim. Everyday, people buy the newest iPhone in an attempt to showcase our wealth or an expensive Rolls-Royce in hopes of impressing others.

This is slavery, plain and simple. We can reduce ourselves to a small and cold desire to accumulate more electronic gear, trading cards, antiques or other collectibles. It is far beneath the dignity of human beings to enslave themselves to objects of their own making. It is well said that our possessions in some ways may come to own us.

In today’s society, it is common for people to drive their aspirations solely in the pursuit of wealth, believing external possessions will bring them happiness. Individuals tend to be consumed by their desire to acquire capital. Some do this to the point of exhaustion, working 50 or 60 hours a week to make more money than they would ever truly require. Hence, to live a lifestyle tied to material belongings ultimately halts people from experiencing a meaningful life.

E. M. Forster expresses his personal struggles with owning property in his essay titled “My Wood”. Through the fame and fortune presented to him after his most prominent novel, A Passage of India was published, he had the opportunity to expand his horizons and purchase land. Often times, countless individuals believe owning land and experiencing economic growth in a personal matter may make someone feel enlightened or perhaps powerful. However, for Forster, the experience only brought upon feelings of misery and self-condemnation. E.M. Forster’s presents his central question in the first paragraph when he asks, “What is the effect of property on the character?” (246). Forster refers to the contradictory nature one feels with owning

Being self-confident, believe in one’s self is very important. Millions of people fail to live their life they always wished to live. They fail to realise their ambitions and give up on their dreams as soon as they encounter their first obstacle. One of the strongest cause of it is because they fail to believe themselves. Believing in yourself is all about being sure that you are going to do whatever you want, even the others are against you. Usually , when you decide to take big challenge or to do something that