Materialism Is The Love For Tangible Things

Money— sweeter than honey but oh so destructive. It facilitates a man’s life, while a lack of it imprisons him in the streets of penury. It raises his social status, while an absence of it leaves him unnoticed. It gives him an aura of superiority and importance among others, while a deficiency of it makes him worthless in society’s eyes. Considering these two roads, most do not take more than a second to decide to chase riches.

In today’s society, people put money on expensive or luxurious items in order to have a better appearance and to bring them happiness. Walker concerned about the society's definition of “ Valuable” and how human put values on objects. She points out people should place value on love, family and friends instead of diamond, gold and other materialistic things.

Things we want versus things we need. People often forget what they really need in life like water, air, food, shelter, love and affection and most importantly a family. Most people think they need a nice car or they need a $600 phone or nice name brand clothes but really you don’t. They don’t need all the extra stuff all of those things are mainly what you want because that’s what you see everyone else with around school or work or just in general wearing. So it makes you want it because you see everyone else with it. You don’t need materialistic things to make you fill superior in society.

Materialism is a poison to society that prevents people from doing what is necessary for them. The novel, “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer demonstrates this. The novel is centered on Chris McCandless. He was on his way to graduate from a well-known university. He decides to leave, donating his money and burning the rest. He went into the wilderness, living off the land. He demonstrates materialism by taking only what was on his back. Materialism is a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values. The average person requires possession of physical objects in order to be content. Chris shows through his actions that having physical comfort is not needed to acquire satisfaction. In “Into

When humans become more materialistic, they lose the ability to maintain normal human relationships emotions connected to human relationships such as love or friendship. In modern day 2017, everybody is becoming more materialistic, wanting the newest

In her 2008 essay, “Stuff Is Not Salvation,” Anna Quindlen argues that the consumer culture in America has been overrun with the desire to spend money on unnecessary “junk” such as “appliances, toys, clothes, [and] gadgets” (160). Quindlen’s main argument is that this “junk” that we own is, for the most part, meaningless and without any personal value to the owner. She believes that people could be happier living more simply buying only the objects that are needed. Quindlen has an agreeable and relatable point of view, however her main claims are not supported by any real facts; only vaguely by personal experiences, future statistics, and rude comparisons.

We have become captivated with gifts and assets, with the expectation of finding happiness, but we cannot forget the fact that money can only buy material things, it cannot replace people or life experiences. The more we buy the more affluenza digs deeper into our society and future and we need to put an end to this starting with

This shows who the audience is, the author says, “Are we raising our kids…”, which shows that she’s talking directly to parents. In the essay, it states, “ When those teenagers become adults they will expect to do little work for a lot in return. They are more likely to suffer personality disorders like narcissism, separation anxiety, paranoia, and attention deficit disorder.” The author uses pathos here, because parents naturally care about their child’s well being. Parents never want to be the cause of their child’s problem, and if there is a problem, they want to find a way to solve it. The quote is also the Ethos of the article, because it shows the credibility. She knows a lot about how the psyche works on individuals, by telling the audience the possible effects that materialism can have on children. The author counters her argument with, “ Now, i'm not saying to refrain from buying gifts for your loved ones… Just don't overindulge and do try to make them meaningful.”. This shows how the author understands that gift giving isn't a bad thing, but individuals should do it in moderation, and not forget the true meaning of the

According to Wilkins and Sanford (2009), there are several elements of a consumerism worldview; accumulating and using things brings fulfillment, money is power, we need just a little bit more, people are viewed as objects to consume, and if something ceases to fulfill me or meet my needs it should be discarded. With the idea that by accumulating and using things brings fulfillment, whether it be fulfillment of material things or fulfillment of emotional needs, this worldview neglects to fulfill our deepest emotional needs leaving us always desiring more to fill that void. Money is power leaves people always striving to accumulate wealth so they can have power and control over situations, because you are only important or significant if you have wealth. Also with the consumerism worldview, we always feel that we need a little bit more, because what you already have is never enough, due to material

As Austrian writer Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach wrote,“To be content with little is difficult; to be content with much, impossible.” History and literature have established that the ideal goal every American has wanted is for his thirst for material possessions to be reached, but even then, the individual isn’t truly happy. Money, and the things it can get you, have long been a part of American culture and the materialist culture of society have been examined in numerous ways from novels to the art of those like Andy Warhol. A life free from the economic woes that plague almost everyone seems like the quintessential existence, but material wealth is not a way to mend issues.

Many people put possessions and acquirements as their main focus at certain periods in their lifespan. The value or lack thereof each individual puts on their possessions dictates the way they act upon and percieve what is important at various stages in life. These values as they change over the lifespan have great significance over the way individuals consume and their overall happiness. The crucial need for possessions and acquistions to obtain a level of satisifaction and happiness can be described as materialism. Individuals' materialistic values change across the lifespan, however, there are factors such as age effects, cohort effects, and period effects that increase or decrease the value of materialism in a certain individual's life.

Whoever said money can’t buy happiness? Today, the argument can be made that happiness and consumerism are directly linked. It is fair to say that happiness is a relative term for different people. However, the obtaining of new and shiny things has become such a part of everyday life, that it provides happiness when people are purchasing something new, and causes sadness when no buying is taking place. For many, it seems to be a protective coating against the harsh realities of everyday stresses from a job, or family life.

We live in a society where we are surrounded by advancing technology and material objects, where many feel they are defined by their possessions (“You are what you drive, or wear, or drink, etc.”), where people feel the need to need to gloat and show off. It seems more and more seldom that our society’s inhabitants actually stop to reflect on what is really important to them, and appreciate what objects hold true meaning in their hearts and lives. Looking around, seeing everyone with a phone attached to their ear, or communicating in a virtual reality to thousands of “friends” is unsettling for many who enjoy a simpler lifestyle. Members of society are forming bonds with objects that

The author, Anna Quindlen, does make a valid point regarding, our possessions are not what we think. Americans consume personal property that we do not appreciate and forget what really is valuable. Consequently, it’s easy to forget what is more important than possessions that come and go throughout our lives. The merchandise that we value are just that, material objects that lose value within time and then we search for the newest. Before the appointed time, it is not materialistic items that bring us joy and fulfilment, it should be loved ones and special memories.

It is extraordinary how people value things that are rare or very expensive, paying no attention at all to their intrinsic value. People buy things they want and need but sometimes they don’t know how to manage it wisely. What people need is a sensible perspective on what is of actual value to them as worthy human beings. Relating