The "M" Word

1. 84

   gmwilliamsposted 10 years ago

   
   Face the facts, we live in a material world where money is the sole determinant of how we live.  The more money, the better our material lives.  Furthermore, the more money, the better health care, education,  myriad opportunities, and overall quality of life.  Then, why are some people incensed at materialism? 
   
   Materialism is a necessary part of living in a capitalist society, especially if one wants to have a decent standard of living and a high quality of life.  Anyone who wants a high standard of living is materialistic to a certain degree.  The only people who decry materialism have a poverty consciousness and mentality and do not want better for themselves,preferring to struggle and live from hand to mouth.  Wealth and prosperity are good and the elixir of life.  Anyone who says that money cannot buy happiness and that materialism is bad, is totally amiss.    Do YOU agree with this premise?

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   1. 60

      paradigmsearchposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      More or less...
      
      But I would modify the statement as follows (changes underlined):
      
      "Anyone who says that money cannot buy the opportunity for happiness and that capitalism is bad, is totally amiss."
      
      But that's just me...

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      1. 84

         gmwilliamsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Not just YOU, most intelligent and logical people feel that way.  Money buy$ a decent and high quality of life.  Mature grown ups realize this.  It is those who are immature and eternal adolescents and live in a utopian and lala world who believe otherwise. As my father was fond of saying, "People, grow up.  Facts are facts.  This is reality, it is better to have and not need than to need and not have."   Bless HIM.
         
         
         I would like to interject that anyone who does not believe that money does not buy happiness and that capitalism is bad NEEDS to be impoverished and/or homeless for ONE YEAR.  Or THEY need to work at a minimum wage job with mounting bill$ for at least TWO YEARS, then THEY will GROW and SMARTEN UP and change their INANE soliquy.
         
         Yet, these are the SAME misguided folks who decry and envy the rich, wishing that THEY could live as well. They are also the same "lovely" folks who are always asking their wealthier friends and relatives for money because they were too shortsighted to plan for and strategize their life and future goals.  Go figure, some LOST folks, eh!

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         1. 57

            cissitsangposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Now for a more serious post...
            
            Capitalism can be bad because it creates all sorts of income inequality, and a class of the "haves" and the "have nots".
            
            Money does not always buy happiness - but your mental attitude towards life can.
            
            I understand money is important because I live in a capitalist society, but money, in of itself, does not make me happy. There's a lot of factors in life that make me happy and money isn't always a factor.

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            1. 84

               gmwilliamsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               C'mon now, money i$ the main component for happiness! No right thinking, rational and SANE person is happy without money. Please, be real-this is the REAL, MATERIAL world we live where money buy$ goods and services.  The more money, the better quality of good$ and $ervice$.  If one has little or no money for such things, he/she gets nada, zilch, crumbsies, leftovers!

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            2. 60

               Silverspeederposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Money
               
               It doesn't belong to me!
               It hasn't got my head on the $/£
               It wont give me the nutritional value if I eat it.
               It wont give me protection against the elements if I wear it.
               It wont give me warmth if I burn it (unless you burn lots then it would be uneconomical).
               
               The power of money is when you spend it
               You can buy something to eat
               You can buy something to wear
               You can buy something to keep you warm.
               
               I have always believed it is better to cry in the back of a Rolls Royce than on a park bench.

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               1. 0

                  Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  I'd rather cry in the arms of someone who loves me.
                  I say again, life is about relationships.

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                  1. 60

                     Silverspeederposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     Who's arms do you cry in if they don't love you?

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                     1. 0

                        Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                        Well obviously not theirs. lol
                        I will put myself in the arms of God, as I did when going through a life changing trial recently.

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               2. 84

                  gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  SMART man, all of us are materialistic.  Materialism is necessary to live an affluent life.  People who decry materialism have a poverty consciousness and do not want much in life, being merely content to struggle and live barely above water socioeconomically.  We need money and material things to live a human life, without such things, we live an animal life or life at the most instinctive and basic level. People who eschew and decry materialism are the ones living in abject poverty.   Affluent people are materialistic, that is par for the course.  Materialism helps people live a better life.

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   2. 0

      Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      1a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values.
      2 Philosophy the doctrine that nothing exists except matter and its movements and modifications.
      
      
      These are the actual definition of materialism. Food and shelter are needs to exist. I don't really believe they are the same.

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   3. 72

      rhamsonposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I think you may be confusing materialism with consumerism. While both seem to hold the same premise one is the collection of material possessions merely to have and admire them while the other is the collection of things to use them. Consumerism can get out of hand if one uses them to excess. Capitalism banks more on consumerism as it is a short term rejuvenating process whereby materialism winds up in collections only to be sold and resold on a much longer timeframe.

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2. 57

   cissitsangposted 10 years ago

   That guy in the photo is holding a martini?
   
   I'll have a martini. That's a M word I like.

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   1. 84

      gmwilliamsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That's cute!

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   2. 91

      GA Andersonposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      No, it is not a martini, and I should know. I have one in my hand for my nightly forum forays.
      
      Stolis with a cap-full of Rossi Dry vermouth. Accept no substitutes and say no to the olives!
      
      GA

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3. 74

   cheaptrickposted 10 years ago

   I'd like the opportunity to Prove money cant buy happiness!
   ....if someone would just provide the money part...I promise I'll work Real hard at it...

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   1. 84

      gmwilliamsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      You can't. Such a notion is a foolish one invented by angry and discontented poor people who KNOW they are unhappy and envy the rich because they are living the life the former wish they could.  The notion that money does not buy happiness is totally and utter BS and tomfoolery.  Only the young, naive, and stupid believe such.  Mature and intelligent people KNOW better! If I had a child who stated this, I would DISOWN and DISINHERIT him/her and leave the money to charity and/or younger relatives who appreciate the intrinsic and extrinsic value of money.

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4. 63

   alexandriaruthkposted 10 years ago

   It depends on ones goal and level of wants.

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   1. 84

      gmwilliamsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, if one wants to live a prime, high quality of life or a mere's subsistent existence of constant penury and struggle.  Smart people will NOT choose the latter!

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      1. 63

         alexandriaruthkposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         It is all relative. Happiness is state of the mind.

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         1. 84

            gmwilliamsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Believe in such delusions! SOME people just DON'Twant to better themselves, so sad, so sad!

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            1. 0

               Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Are you just playing devil's advocate? I don't really understand that statement. How do more money and objects equate with bettering oneself?

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5. 95

   Sue Adamsposted 10 years ago

   Depends on your chosen lifestyle. In the city there is nothing else to do but spend money. I have chosen to live a minimalist life style, because I want to have as little as possible to do with an insane capitalistic system which thrives on profits for the mega rich.  OK I own my home, a little wooden chalet in the middle of no-where in Southern Spain. I live very happily on $500 a month, just enough to pay my bills, petrol and food. I go food shopping once a week but grow my own veg. I have no TV but I have a sewing machine to make or alter clothes. As for health care, I live a healthy enough life that I have not seen a doctor for over 15 years. I believe that the pharmaceutical industry is just a big monster money grabbing devil designed to make people sick so they buy more pills. When you live in a city you cannot go out your front door without spending money.  Here, living in nature is different and yes, I am very, very happy. If I won the lottery (which I don't play) I would give all my money to a good cause and continue living the simple life I have chosen to live: trying to boycott consumerism of useless goods designed to brake and be thrown away. And no, money cannot buy happiness, only encourages greed and corruption.
   
   b.t.w. I am mature and intelligent.

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   1. 0

      Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      This is very impressive to me. A great example of healthy perspective.

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6. 60

   peteprposted 10 years ago

   I think some of us are forgetting that more and more people want money to survive,
   nevermind about 'bettering' themselves. We live in times  where there is less
   security to see you comfortably to your death when ironically life lasts longer.
   It's no wonder whay money is important. You grab what you can and dream of
   the day when you have too much.

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7. 95

   Sue Adamsposted 10 years ago

   Thank you Beth,
   It took me a long time to sort out my priorities, but it's been a very instructive and rewarding journey.

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8. 60

   janesixposted 10 years ago

   There's nothing wrong with money. It's an efficient and easy way to exchange goods and services. There are other means, such as barter, which are less efficient.
   
   It's the use that is where the problem is. if everyone used it fairly, there wouldn't be a problem.
   
   Should one man be allowed to buy 100 cows and keep them for himself, when there are are only 100 cows?
   
   Does he now have the right to eat all of the cows himself, letting everyone else starve, because he owns them?

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9. 82

   psycheskinnerposted 9 years ago

   Having money and being happy are completely separate things.  I think most people realize this.

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   1. 84

      gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Money=happiness.   When one is impoverished, he/she cannot be happy because he/she is worrying when his/her next meal will come from or if there will be a roof over his/her head.  The more money, the more happiness, that is only inductive and deductive logic.   Homeless and impoverished people are not happy, they are at life's periphery.  However, millionaires and other successful people are happy as their needs and more are taking care off and they do not have to worry about the rudiments of life.  Yes, materialism is great!

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      1. 0

         Beth37posted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I have to disagree. When I went to Africa, I was struck by how happy the children were and they were completely impoverished. They hung out together, running around and playing, climbing trees, carrying their siblings on their hips, laughing, using knotted up plastic bags as a soccer ball... and they just seemed to have a peace and simple joy that American children do not. All kids are different, I know, I have four, but I can tell you when one becomes materialistic, they are anything but happy. They are unfulfilled when they do not have that thing, and they go back to being unfulfilled after they tire of that thing and desire a new thing. I don't think materialism is healthy at all. I believe contentment brings happiness.

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10. 82

    psycheskinnerposted 9 years ago

    There is plenty of research that shows people in subsistence cultures are typically the most happy.
    
    If you really think wealth creates happiness, yes you may actually have materialism as a core philosophy.

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    1. 84

       gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Well, wealth does create happiness and freedom from want and penury.  That is why people become educated and work to better themselves.  They do not want to be poor.  Many entertainers who grew up poor, want to become wealthy so they can live a beautiful life free of want for themselves and their families.  Poverty is not pretty.  If one grew up in poverty, one would know that!

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       1. 82

          psycheskinnerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          This is what people believe but research shows it is not that simple.  It may be that the human psyche is constructed to thrive while striving.  Because once you earn enough to subsist, more money is not correlated with more happiness.  It's called the Easterlin Paradox.

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11. 0

    Beth37posted 9 years ago

    I understand what you're saying, but I loved this quote by Jim Carrey, who grew up dirt poor:
    "I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer."

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    1. 60

       Silverspeederposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Its quite funny how rich and famous people always seem to decry being rich and famous when they have achieved it.
       Is it the fact that he is rich that gets to him or is it the fact that he has no privacy any more!

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       1. 84

          gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          Ouch, it isn't ironic that those who doth protest against wealth and materialism are wealthy or affluent themselves?   For example, one of my co-workers' son complained about materialism.  Guess what? He came from an upper middle class background.   Those who grew up poor and/or impoverished want to be rich so that they and/or their families can live a better life. 
          
          Jay-Z and Mark Wahlberg, both multimillionaires AIN'T ccmplaining about being rich.  They love it and are thankful for it, using their wealth to build businesses and to help their created and original families.  Mr. Wahlberg is paying for his nieces and nephews' education, helping his oldest brother establish an upscale restaurant, and is becoming a businessman and mogul.   Jay-Z is DOING it!   Sad that the people who complain about materialism and wealth are wealthy and/or affluent themselves-how UNGRATEFUL to God for bestowing such gifts!  How UNGRATEFUL indeed!

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       2. 0

          Beth37posted 9 years agoin reply to this

          Once, my husband was receiving a severance pkg. On top of that he had gotten a new, good paying job, so I had a taste of what is was like, for a very short time, to be well off. It was one of the most unhappy times of my life. I could buy furniture, but I really didn't want to be alive. I think that's the kind of thing Jim is talking about... there are some things money cannot buy. I guess I'd rather build character and struggle to keep a car running then have the nicest things and have no joy. I understand that feeding your kids and providing them with warmth is vital, but I do believe that is different from materialism.

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          1. 84

             gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

             Why were you unhappy.  Didn't you realize that you were bestowed a gift and an opportunity.  Wealth and affluence are beautiful.  You and your husband were bestowed such gifts by God for a reason.  To be unhappy while one is in an advantageous position is analogous to spitting in God's eyes.  When one is ungrateful for such gifts and opportunities, there is a way that such gifts are taken away.  It is called karma. One NEVER misses the water until the well runs dry.  When one loses the gifts and advantages, one wails at what could and might have been.  Wealth and affluence are not evil.  People have to change their negative attitude towards wealth and money if they want to succeed.

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             1. 0

                Beth37posted 9 years agoin reply to this

                Well, I s'pose that was Jim's point... life brings a multitude of problems that money can't solve. Sometimes it's the money itself that brings the problems. Maybe in Jim's case he wanted to love and be loved and couldn't find anyone who actually cared about him for who he was outside of the fame and fortune? I don't know. It's nice when money isn't an issue, and we should be grateful no matter what our circumstance, but if one's heart is set on money over all else, I think that person will find that it doesn't bring them what they thought it would.

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                1. 84

                   gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                   I believe that one should have a career that pays well and that one is passionate about.  I agree.  I do not believe in selling myself to be in a well-paid job which I hate and detest.  That is soulless and eventually one will psychologically rebel.  This discussion is great and gave me ideas for a hub.  Thank you, Beth 37.  I will write that hub as soon I get better.  I am in bed with a cold and it is horridly cold outside.  Neither the Yakut region in Siberia nor Alaska is colder than it is in New York right now.  Wrong am I, Buffalo perhaps is colder!  Well, off to bed and some rest.

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                      Beth37posted 9 years agoin reply to this

                      I can imagine. It has been crazy cold lately. I hope you feel better soon.

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                      1. 84

                         gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                         Thank you, Beth.  It is FREEEEEZZZZING.

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12. 92

    FatFreddysCatposted 9 years ago

    In the immortal words of Weird Al Yankovic, "If money can't buy happiness... I guess I'll have to rent it."

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    1. 84

       gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       DEFINITELY!  HELL TO THE YES!

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13. 78

    Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years ago

    It is a matter of focus. if you are too focused on money and it starts to consume your mind, then yeah, money can be the cause of unhappiness. So make what you need and then focus on real life.

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