Too Much Stuff

I have too much stuff, do you? We are conditioned into thinking we need more than we actually do (that is the beauty of advertising), but like the legend Bob Marley once said; “now you get what you want, want more”. Do you ever get the feeling that all we do is obtain more stuff and find ways to rip each other off so that we can obtain more useless junk. And we often complain about how broke we are when we know very well that we’re guilty of spending more than we earn, and on stupid, pointless items. I will admit that I have too much stuff and I desperately need to improve in this area of ignorance, big time.  Not only change, but be more thankful for what I already have and give time or resources to those who have less or nothing at all.

This observation on human greed is often met with responses like: “this is a free country, “capitalism is working”, “we can buy whatever we choose to”, and so on and so forth. But these arguments are pointless when addressing them towards me, because I totally agree with them. But remember, just because we CAN do certain things, doesn’t mean it justifies them as logical or beneficial for us to do them, and especially when doing them to the extreme.

It seems we are getting too comfortable with going overboard on luxury objects and have built this fantasy world telling us to put our faith in “stuff” rather than in building value, character, or making other important and positive changes. What happened to the idea of taking responsibility for our actions and doing things in moderation? We don’t just need a bigger house, we need the BIGGEST house. We don’t need a flashy car, we need the flashiest cars around, and the list continues on and the arrogance and self congratulatory attitude continues to feed the mainstream with “cribs”, accessories, and more stuff. With all that stuff, you would think a person would be thankful for the things they have and stop acquiring stuff at some point. Well if you assume this, you would be wrong.

So my question to you is, why do we need so much? Does it comfort us? Why do we complicate life like this and are willing to go into debt for these things? Do we really need the 12 pairs of shoes, 5 TV sets, and 3 SUV’s. What is it about obtaining personal property makes us feel complete in life. Do “things” have some type of significance that we measure our success on? I understand that we have necessities in life and should be free to buy things we enjoy, but this mentality of “lets buy everything” is getting out of hand. It is ridiculous to put it lightly.  Life is about giving to others, sharing, learning, helping, and supporting others with positive change.

The more you look for meaning in tangible items, the more you will likely feel meaningless in life. Besides, you can’t take your toys with you when you’re dead, so enjoy them now.