Stuff is fun. It’s fun to get presents, buy that new dress and redecorate your room every once in a while. But what do those things really mean to you?
Our society uses our materialism to show people their place in the social hierarchy. Stuff equals success, wealth and happiness.
Because of this, many of us waste our lives clamoring to get to the top of the hierarchy by buying things we don’t need or might not even want. The scary part is that this is so ingrained in our society that sometimes we don’t even realize this is happening.
Take the iPhone. You buy one and almost immediately after, Apple comes out with the same one bearing a different name. But that “s” after the iPhone 6 in the title makes us want it for some reason. It’s new, it’s supposedly different and what’s the best part? When our friends ask us what kind of phone we have, we can add the all-powerful “s” to the name.
If you don’t believe me, let’s take a journey back in time to the good old middle school days when regular, cheap T-shirts were not cool enough to wear to school. You were considered “cool,” however, if you were lucky enough to have parents who spent the extra money on T-shirts that had the words “Abercrombie and Fitch,” “Hollister” or “Aeropostale” stitched on the front.
To this day, I’m not sure why those particular words were so important but I’ll admit I wanted those shirts, too.
This alone shows us that status (in this case, being the coolest kid in a land of braces and side bangs) comes from how much we spend on things.
Think about it. First, we cared enough about being cool to spend extra money on shirts with someone else’s last name on them. Second, the materialistic idealism is prevalent in middle school, and probably starts even before that.
It’s a problem.
Our generation is more materialistic than ever. We now live in a land of online shopping, making it easier for all of us to spend money on things we may not need simply because we are bored. We waste money and end up hoarding stuff we never use in our basements.
And we are all part of the problem.
We are constantly told that money isn’t everything, but it’s pretty darn important.
If you ask the majority of college students why they are in school, they’ll say to get a job that pays well. Unfortunately, because of the way our society is shaped, we all view getting money and the most stuff as the goal to work and strive for.
In reality, none of these things have proven to make anyone 100 percent happy. Yes, a cushy lifestyle and fun toys make life a little more extravagant but experiences and people are what make being human great.
I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true.
Even Michael Scott had it right when he said, “At the end of my life, when I'm sitting on my yacht, am I gonna be thinking about how much money I have? No. I'm gonna be thinking about how many friends I have and my children and my comedy albums.”
We are only on this earth for a short period of time and taking opportunities, forming relationships and gaining life experience should be a part of our plan.
Yes, money matters.
In every practical sense, money is one of the most important things. And you should work hard in college and in life to make a way for yourself in the world.
However, if we forget about the things that really make us human and the ways that we can make our lives memorable, then we aren’t really living.
So, to end this cheesy plea for authentic happiness in life, I ask you to experience the world while you’re in it.
Travel. Read. Go for a hike. Meet people. See the world.
In general? Do things instead of buying them. You will end up a whole lot happier.
