Materialism in the modern world

“If money and material make you believe you are better than others, you are the poorest person on earth” (unknown author). This blog issue will look at materialism in relation to wellbeing and mental health because this focus is no longer just seen as a tool but as essential in the lives of many.

Being materialistic is the extreme need for materials, possessions and money which may be made are priority above relationships and knowledge of self. Also, self-worth may be misunderstood to be in reflection of materials which are an external extension of power rather than from adding value to self-development and inner power.

In this world full of distractions, the psychological and spiritual warfare to put pressure on individuals to buy this or that to fit in with a stereotype is extremely intense because as well as traditional media, we are bombarded with constant advertising via internet applications, especially on social media platforms which are extremely popular with digital device users.

It’s important to have a relationship with self on a deep level to live authentically with intention. If you don’t know who you are, you give others the power to define you. Each of us has been made to be unique but if you don’t know yourself, you will not being able to develop your unique gift to be your best.

Nurturing your unique gift regardless of validation from others is your superpower and will help you nurture your self-validation, so you focus within instead of only outside of you or others for solutions.

Modern materialism is forcing everyone to conform to some levels of materials which no longer define what an individual is interested in, especially in connection to music, sports or fashion. The internet has accelerated globalisation so individual countries and have adopted more generic materialistic cultures that are similar because of the pressure of being part of current trends.

The development and easy access to participate in internet shopping has increased materialistic practices because instead of going out and looking for materials to buy, internet shopping can be done without going out and with just using a digital device connected to the internet.

If every one of us invests as much in our own self-development and relationships as we do in materialistic objects, we will all be rich in love for self and others, which is priceless. An interesting reflection is understanding that when self leaves this earth, all of the materials left behind will either be thrown away, passed onto someone else or not worth any value.