Material World

Has the entire world gone crazy? When did we become a society so obsessed with...things?

Everywhere I turn, it’s all about stuff – how much you have, how much you want and of course, what you’re getting next.

Decades ago, it was almost laughable the idea of a material world made of material people. Now, not so much.

It’s in the music...

I’m disgusted by hip hop and rap music these days. Could it get any shallower? Cars, clothes, shoes, jewellery, gadgets, toys, money, even alcohol and women are objects to collect and brag about.

I’m always taken by surprise when I hear a song about... let’s say love, then the rapper randomly goes off about his cars and his house. Am I the only one who notices? Is that the total sum of their lives measured in dollar value? Is that the only message you have to communicate to the world? And worse, the world is ok with it...?

It’s in the movies...

Branding and ad placement has made a lot of movies more like hour-long ads and importantly, makes viewers more conscious of “stuff.”

I’ve noticed it in myself that I’m more likely to purchase brand name products if I see it on tv. To me, the manufacturer who can afford quality television ads and placement means quality products. Choosing quality is not necessarily bad per se but the obsession of stacking them up like they add value to one’s life is terrible. We wouldn’t really know much if it wasn’t fed to us with the tv spoon, would we?

It’s on the internet...

I’m an avid YouTuber. Both Google and YouTube are like my eyes to the outside world so it’s easy for me to be aware of any sort of trend.

The trend which I’ve observed is that of vloggers* showing off the things they own on the internet. When did that become normal?

Just this week, I saw topics like: What’s In My Kors Bag; What’s On My iphone; My Shoe Collection, What’s In My Closet...etc

Somebody does some clothes shopping and makes a video detailing EVERYTHING. I see my gurus making videos showing their bathroom vanities, their beauty product purchases and anything having to do with... you guessed it, stuff.

That’s so worrying to me. I’m not against shopping and owning nice things; I just see everything wrong with making that the focus of life.

Oh, it’s not the focus of life you say? Let’s elucidate, shall we?

Do you have that friend who cannot mention an item without specifying the brand? Eg: “I wanted to run to the supermarket fast so I threw on my black and white Converse...”

What about when you wear new items, do you insist on showing tags?

Is your chain always on the outside of your shirt?

Do you wear them all at the same time?

How about that smart phone craze, did you have to have the next best BlackBerry or Samsung or iPhone?

Not yet three months since you have your new phone but you already know what you want next?

Do you subscribe to the concept of ‘the bigger, the flashier therefore the better’?

Did you buy a vehicle that looks better and is more popular regardless of the practicality of considering gas mileage?

...Uh huh.

There are so many other instances I can list but I shouldn’t have to. We know ourselves. My issue is that I’m just worried about the quality of life we consequently choose to live just because of... stuff.

Are we guilty of sacrificing some pretty important things for less important but pretty ones? Minimum payment on the bills to allow for new “stuff”?

Everywhere I turn, to the left and to the right I see these people shielding insecurities with flashy and trendy stuff, hoping to feel better through overindulgence in things.

I ‘m fine with being the first to confess my guilt; I engage in retail therapy because it makes me feel better after a tough day or week. And I don’t feel comfortable getting dressed or relaxing someplace where I can’t be surrounded by my precious things. I like pretty things and collect them like baubles.

But it struck me one day when a fire incident opened my eyes to the question: With the comfort that my things bring me, what would I do if I lost everything and had to start over from scratch? I had to be honest; I would probably have a mini breakdown.

Clearly, that’s evidence enough that I need to re-prioritise my life. While I’m not there yet, I’m working on it, one group of items at a time.

My mum is the ideal example. She’s totally ok with owning two pairs of jeans whereas I’m trying to drag her into this era by  buying her...you guessed it, stuff.

Every now and again, I’ll find myself being re-prioritised by her simple statement, “They’re just things.”

While we debate the validity of this article, let’s ponder this: What do the younger and more impressionable ones see? Do they see a generation of shallow, mindless consumers barely holding on for the next sale or trend before we cut loose and go wild?

Do they think that their value is measured by how up-to-the-times they are?

I think back on my high school days and cringe. It was a jungle out there. The pressure was on for those who couldn’t show off their stuff. I only thank God I wasn’t a part of it now but back then I felt the pressure.

What’s it like for kids these days?

Yes, it’s true. We live in a material world but must we be material people?

*Vloggers: video bloggers