Tuesdays With Morrie, Materialism

Journal #5

It is a known fact that Americans are materialistic people. I don't want to be a materialistic person, but we kind of have to be in our world. We are programmed through commercials and billboard adds to always want the latest gadget, car, or CD. Schools and colleges expect students to have internet and computer access to do homework and projects, parents want to know where their kids are at all times so they buy them cell phones, and young girls want to look like the models they see on TV so they buy make up and fancy clothes to keep up with the times.

No matter how hard I try, I can't not be materialistic. I am typing this journal on a computer I need. There is no escaping it. In a previous journal I talked about how these needs for things is a cover up for what we truly need, love. People are so starving for attention that they are accepting substitutes. Money can't buy what we need, and when we don't know what we need, we think materialistic things will fill that hole in our souls.

It is all a big circle of a mess in the USA. We (teenagers) reach out for love and attention and when we don't get it we reach for material things, when we can't afford those we lash out in anger and do the troublesome things we are stereotyped as doing. It's a horrible cycle that can only be resolved if/when the USA slows down, and focuses its attention on the important things in life. So how do we go about doing this?

The first step would be to get rid of all the things we truly do not need. I would start by each family only buying the amount of food they truly need, and nothing more. Then I would start by adjusting the dispersion of money so that everyone has what they need. When people have what they need, there is less violence and hate. Of course this is an almost impossible task for us to undertake, but we need to start somewhere.