On materialism

"We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society" ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

In today's world, it is nearly impossible to free ourselves from the clutches of materialism. Think about it- from childhood, we are inundated with the approbation of the rich and famous in television and other media. We are sent to schools? Why? To gain knowledge? Well nowadays, more than that, to be efficient enough to be able to earn money in the future. That's the first thing people are concerned about while choosing a career or a job- "What are its prospects", "Will I earn enough"? "Will I be happy", "Do I really want this" is now secondary. When picking a career, does following a passion or chasing a paycheck lead to a happier life?

As said in the Bhagavat Gita,

"Vihaya kaman yah 

sarvan pumansh charati nihsprihah

nirmamo nirahankarah sa shantim adhigachchhati"

That person, who gives up all material desires and lives free from a sense of greed, proprietorship, and egoism, attains perfect peace. We come empty handed and we leave empty handed. 

Very often we run after desires which are desired upon only because of its glory. We follow footsteps and seldom do we take the path less travelled by. We get used to the robotic life, and "pseudo contentment" follows, unaware that we could have been happy.

"When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.” .

Life can easily become stagnant, mundane, and monotonous, but that changes depending on what we choose to see. There’s always a silver lining, if you look for it. 

There's more to life than running after things which does not have a soul

Can you ever be satisfied if the definition of "happiness" is "more". More what? More money, more friends, more cars, more likes, more followers, and so on. What is the definition of "more"? What is its upper limit? There is none. You will never go to your grave happy and satisfied if you chase "more". Happiness and materialism are somewhat mutually exclusive; you can’t have both at the same time. In order to be happy, you need to get rid of your materialistic tendencies. 

Being minimalist is the answer. 

Minimalists do not live to work, they work to live. Human connection, having friends and family that you are close to is the priority. When you become a minimalist, you value people more. Our world values things over other people. When in fact, things do not bring us happiness. People bring us happiness. Love people and use things, the opposite doesn't work.