posted on Aug, 13 2008 @ 10:50 AM
great thought provoking thread.
you know i remember reading a article that said appox" a harvard study showed that material things/money bring you happiness up a level where your
basic needs are being met/ stable shelter/home and food .
People are caught up in the capitalistic greed because that's what they told= success. So they chase this dream and fill the empty space in their
hearts with material things....sadly those that don't include "love" will always be empty, aside from short bursts of fun, i think this is
prevelant in married couples (where sustaining happiness seems difficult these days and because often they don't enjoy the relationship anymore, yet
society tells them they should, so they buy toys to fix the confusion . don't confuse what i'm saying into believing money is bad, money can be a
large part of happiness but only when you have some sort of balance with other things in your life like a loving relationship with close friends,
significant others, children, and ESPECIALLY love for YOURSELF to begin with. Also i am not saying marriage is bad, but that it is growing
potentially more dangerous unless you (have a good heart, and intention w/ marriage) not material/status symbol gain, and that you find someone with a
good heart, otherwise you will be doomed to a eventual life of "shackles and chains" which can potentially build up in you and be released in all
sorts of negative behavior should someone feel trapped and confused and unhappy. I think the pool of people with the hearts and patience and
intentions for a happy marriage is contracting and very much the minority today, but that at least people are divorcing and not living in unhappiness
(note this is different that ordinary up's and down's)
Back to the OP's topic, NO way in HECK does the majority of this USA go toward non materialistic happiness IMO, they are the most far gone generation
and not only are they bombarded by materialism=status symbol/success i don't they have many people showing them they have another OPTION /perspective
to choose that can maintain their happiness minus the material obsessions. Sadly i think the younger generations will largely turn to violence, and
drugs to cope with their weaning off of materialism due to lack of $$$$. Some will surely turn to sports and other hobby's that are pretty cheap,
rock climbing, canoeing, surfing, fishing, etc but i fear that will be the minority and also that the PTB will not be able to sustain a society w/0 a
brainwashed public chasing materialism, so it's a catch 22 in my mind.
I think the media holds the key to the future of the world, and i think they are focused on profits like any succesful corporation would be, our
society is "out of balance" and it seems like those of us who don't need to be obsessed w/ materialism (yet aren't living under bridges) should
just focus on enhancing our lives and those that we are around, while trying to give younger people in our lives the option of having more fun outside
of material objects, i think society/media/corporate land is sort of stuck in that they need people to be focused on consuming in order to generate
the profits that help keep people employed so ya catch 22 in that regard
[edit on 13-8-2008 by cpdaman]