'The best things that happen to us are not always things.' - A saying that has been going around a long time and its meaning is the true essence of our life. The happiness that we may receive after making others smile or spending time with our family cannot be compared buying a brand new phone or branded clothes. Materialism is the belief that having money and other possessions is the most important thing in life. This belief has acquired a strong place in the people, especially the youth. They are pumped up by the advertisements that portray the notion ‘you are what you possess’ , as a result the youth is fascinated from the money as well as luxuries that they may or may not be able to afford.
The youth tries to identify themselves as well as the people around them with the money and the things they have, which creates a rift between the rich and the poor. The present day trends, such as clubbing or having lavish birthday parties, having latest gadgets or buying the newest car in the market, have a tight grip on the youth; so much so that people sometimes stress over how to keep up with these trends. There are many out there who just feel the need to buy new clothes or expensive phone to fit in with their peer group. They don’t realize the pressure it can create on their parents who work hard day and night just to make the ends meet for their family.
People don’t feel the need to have a good personality or empathy for others which can help them to be a good individual as well as a good reputation for people to recognize them; instead they feel that the only way to have a good reputation is by owning material things. There is no particular harm in owning things, however it sometimes leads to buying things that we don’t even need in our lives. People now-a-days try and measure the level of happiness of a person with the amount of money or the luxuries that the person owns. Whenever they see that someone has a thing that seem to good enough, they have an urge to buy it, even though they might not need it.
Society has embedded the notion in our heads that a person who owns more is respected more; due to which people are chasing money and power. Priority is given to having and earning a good amount of money over having a good and humble personality. It is also the reason for the huge gap between the rich and the poor in terms of wealth as the economic system is provoking the people to spend more money and for that they need to work hard and earn more. Studies point out that if the parents tend to have a materialistic approach and tend to buy things after being influenced by the advertisements, then the children may also develop materialism in them.
The beliefs of the society are changing. Earlier it was said that people are supposed to love each other and the things are meant to be used as long as they serve, however now quite the opposite is happening in the society. Things are loved and people are used as long as they serve the purpose. There is no value for others in the society which is creating an impact on the relationships that people have with each other. People who are materialistic are never happy as contrary to the belief that they tend to be content. Therefore, one should never forget that in times of need, it is the people close to us that come to our rescue and not the things.
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