| How High is the Price of Materialism? | |
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| Aug 13, 2007 03:04 |   |
 | Quotes form the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu warning people of the dangers of materialistic beliefs: Chase after money and security And your heart will never unclench Care about people’s approval And you will be their prisoners, Do your work, then step back.. The only path to serenity These six lines come from an American psychologist’s Tim Kasser’s book “The High Price of Materialism”. Tim Kasser is an associate professor of Psychology at Knox College in Galesburg, IL. This book is instructive and thought-provoking. When I did my graduation paper, I really benefited a lot from this book. This book explores the danger of materialism and how it affects our well-being and happiness. Are you a materialist? May I take the liberty to say that nobody dare say ‘Nay’? In this consumer society, we are surrounded by flashy advertisements hawking dazzling consumer goods. Our consumer culture repeatedly tells us that money and material possessions can bring us happiness and well-being. Just like the quote from Kasser’s book says “Happiness can be found at the mall, on the internet, or in the shopping catalogue.” However, some critics may argue that we have to pursuit money and material possessions in order to survive. Certainly, according to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need, the basic physical needs must be met. While in this global consumerism culture, there is seemingly an underlying principle held by millions of average mass consumers: if you have more money and possessions, you are happier than others. How do our well-being and happiness relate to material possessions? What is “a good life’ or “a meaningful life”? Does personal fulfillment equal to material possessions and money? Will the pursuit of money and material goods lead to a decent life? These questions continue unresolved. |
| Aug 13, 2007 16:17 | #1 |
| Our material desires draw us like bait in a trap. We enslave ourselves chasing after a better, more meaningful life. A better more meaningful life begins with scratching your dog's ears, rolling in the grass playing with your children or taking a walk with your wife. That is true the world over...not just in China. Progress will enslave all of us if we let it. |
| Aug 13, 2007 17:21 | #2 |
| I am well entrapped... and can rationalise it to my complete satisfaction.... I wish to rise above meeting my simple needs, and hope to find fulfillment by nourishing my tastes for experiences (including travel), that I hope will increase my abilities, and may even extend my capacity to contribute usefully to society during my brief tenure in this world! Satisfaction in one's own work is important for sure, but to step back as Lao Tsu recommends, and consider that enough? I'm not sure I would achieve serenity by that route. My 'enslavement' to the generation of material wealth (what little I manage!) delivers to me the 'freedom' to tap the modern world's fabulous technological resources in pursuit of this ambition to learn and grow (and ok, yes there are a few toys accumulated along the way). Whether it will lead to happiness remains uncharted, but frankly if somebody showed me a sure and certain route to happiness I would probably avoid it! :-) sad huh! |
| Aug 14, 2007 20:34 | #3 |
| “Happiness can be found at the mall, on the internet, or in the shopping catalogue.”iIt is true, when I go shopping at the mall, I really feel very happy because the desire of buying sth is met. "if you have more money and possessions, you are happier than others." It is a very prevalent idea in this consumer culture. Celebrities on TV continuously hawk the luxurious consumer goods, and show us how successful they are since they have the easy availability of such expensive stuffs. |
| Aug 15, 2007 21:33 | #4 |
| "Our material desires draw us like bait in a trap." A good simile. We are all engrossed in material gains to some extent, but only few of us can have a thorough self-examination. So, GRIZ326,TRAVELLERMIKE, LEOPOLD219, You are all so courageous to examine youselves here in public. Some people, even having passed the middle age, are still confused about what is a meaningful life and what they really want and value. After seeing this thread, quite a few of them may feel guilty, but they are too cowardly to face the reality. Some do not have the gut to confess in public and keep silent. Let the transient life continue forwarding in confusion. Very sad. |
| Aug 17, 2007 01:58 | #5 |
| I think vanity is the proper word to tell the reason. Vanity is what we think of other's opinion toward us. Is it a little confused? That's because we care too much about other people's approval. |
| Aug 27, 2007 20:25 | #6 |
| The price of being materialistic is paid by the individual wellbeing. Not only the Chinese old sage realized the danger, but the sages from other religions (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism)continuously warned us of the danger of materialism. |
| Sep 3, 2007 04:50 | #7 |
| On Saturday night, I chated with my former university classmate about the life. He tells me. At the present, he cares nothing but money. His theory is that in this consumer society, without money, life will be like a hell. Money can buy you dignity, respectability and good reputation. At first, I try to persuade myself not to believe his theory. Well , after a second thought, I can't find any evidence to convince myself. Life is hard and unfair. Reality is cruel. Being an idealist, you will suffer a lot in this world. Life is merciless. You should take care of yourself. |
| Dec 4, 2007 17:58 | #8 |
| "Chase after money and security And your heart will never unclench Care about people’s approval And you will be their prisoners, Do your work, then step back.. The only path to serenity" Funny, but a lot of people cannot do anything without thinking what other people will say about them and then they wonder why they are stressed and unhappy. Here’s another one. Forgot where I got this though. You strength will come From standing in the center Of a place no one else can see, Knowing what no one can verify, And dancing to a tune No one else can hear. |
| Dec 4, 2007 20:45 | #9 |
| "Funny, but a lot of people cannot do anything without thinking what other people will say about them and then they wonder why they are stressed and unhappy." SHESGOTTOBE, I agree with you. However, in understanding Lao Tzu's word, we should be flexible. We should not care too much about others' approval, nor care it at all. If we care too much, we "will be their prisoners". If we do not care about other's approval at all, we will be lone hands or even worse foes of average people who act arbitrarily. Human being lives a gregarious lifestyle, which is the most intricate lifestyle. BTW, the version you offered is a nice one. Thanks for sharing with us. I do want to hear your opinion on the relationship between our well-being (happiness) and material possessions? |
| Dec 5, 2007 21:11 | #10 |
| "I do want to hear your opinion on the relationship between our well-being (happiness) and material possessions?" Hi Leonardo! I will be very honest with you. For so many years that I have been accessing the internet, this is the only message board I know that discusses a lot about this topic. I already lost count how many threads are here that deals about money, material possessions, rich husbands, etc. Not that I’m complaining but I can’t help wondering….Am I missing something here? Money is good. Having wealth is good but that doesn’t guarantee or even a sign that people with more money are happier. Not even close. More comfortable maybe, but not happier. Who are we to say that Bill Gates is happier than everyone else on earth just because he has more money than 6 billion people? Again, I am not saying that having and wanting money is bad per se, but one should not abandon or lose sight of the things that really matter in pursuit of money. I think people have to reflect on what is it that they really value in life. Whew! Finally got that out of my chest. It’s probably an unpopular stand but that’s my opinion and frankly, I don’t care whether people will agree with me or not. ^_^” |
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