America has become so sickeningly materialistic. You can’t walk down the street, turn on your radio, or go on any web browser without seeing tons and tons of ads. You can’t safely shop on Black Friday. It’s getting ridiculous.

Christmas (along with the radio, and many other things) is continually being attacked by materialism. You always hear, “What did you get for Christmas?” “Have you bought all of your presents yet?” Less and less often do you hear about talk of church on Christmas. Less and less often do you hear people rambling on about how much they love to see their friends and family. It’s hurting all of us. Our perspectives are not in focus.

Can you imagine what it would be like to primarily focus on spending time with every person you love, rather than buying each one of them a gift (that they probably don’t need)? Can you imagine not having to switch radio stations every few minutes just to avoid ads? Can you imagine being satisfied with what you have and not waiting for the next thing to buy?

It’s hard. And yes, I’m sure the economy would take a dip if all of us materialistic, ego maniacs were actually satisfied with what we own, but just imagine the peace. The peace of listening to good music without thinking, “Did you just hear that ad? 70% OFF! We GOTTA shop there tomorrow!” The peace of looking at your closet and thinking, “Look at all the nice clothes I have! I won’t have to buy any for a long time.” “I have a washer and dryer for a reason.”

I am a firm believer in simplicity, but have yet to live a minimalist lifestyle completely because I want to fit in socially. I feel like I was placed in a competition I never asked to be in. No, I don’t want a new outfit for everyday of the week. No, I don’t want a new Jeep- I want to run my car till the wheels fall off. Don’t we all have more important endeavors than chasing after materials? Like our families, jobs, pursuits of education… and maybe our well being?

I want to challenge everyone maybe to slow it down some. Maybe hold off getting the brand new iPhone, if your 6 is fully functioning. Maybe donate some of clothes you never wear to GoodWill, but then NOT buy new clothes to fill the spots. Let’s try to spend our valuable time loving the people around us. Especially now, when so many of us gather together, but our foe (materialism) is at our throats, it’s important to be selective with our attention.

If we didn’t rush to stores at the sight of a deal or have to buy the newest gadgets constantly, it’s possible we wouldn’t be so heavily marketed to. Maybe companies would tone it down if they realized all of us have downloaded Ad Blocker onto Chrome (which I most definitely have). Maybe people wouldn’t be wounded and trampled on Black Friday.

There are more important things in life, and I hope all of us can remember that.