Today, -we all are living in the world of materialism. The intangible happiness has disappeared and our priorities have materialistic things on top. The inevitable superficiality of materialism has given rise to its deceptions and delusions. It traps us unawares in a world of possessions ridden by irrational fears of likely loss and lurking dangers. Finally, it degrades creativity to consumption.
Materialism is much more than it is understood in the form of affluence and lavish lifestyles. No religion preaches against material success gained the right way. At the same time, all religions recognize that out attitude to wealth is crucial to our personality. When wealth is idolized, it enslaves the individual and lures him away from the meaning and purpose of life. Materialism is complete with its own rituals, its own creed and its counterpart of the supernatural.
We live in the 21st century, where driving expensive cars, wearing designer clothes, and buying things we don’t really need to impress others, have become the latest trend. Other catalysts like social envy, expensive medical treatment and exclusive education elite, residential locality and so on are the things we chase behind. This perception of wealth extends to our self-worth and confidence. We feel more empowered if we’re attending a meeting wearing the right clothes and carrying the right handbag, for instance. The pursuit of money has robbed us of our happiness because we’ve lost what we considered important in order to get more wealth.
We are mastering this devil called ‘materialism’. We are getting wealthier materially and poorer humanly. Pleasure, in comparison, is superficial and transitory. It breeds a craving to consume ever-increasing doses in the futile chase after elusive fulfillment. The agony and poverty of materialism is that in its keenness to fatten the body, it has left the spirit starved.
– Tanvi Shah
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