Stripping Away Materialism

This is a new post that I have written from one of the ideas that we were provided in the last class. I chose this PostSecret postcard because it really identifies an issue that I think will be huge for our generation - materialism. All the money in the world won't make us happy, but we seldom realize this fact.




As I was looking through PostSecret with a friend, we came across this postcard. He didn’t understand it at all, while I got it perfectly. He asked, “How can they possibly be happy without all their belongings?” Materialism among the kids of our generation is rampant. Though it’s lessened a bit in college (or maybe I’ve just become less aware of it), I remember in high school where it was all about new shoes for each small occasion or the designer handbag that we “had” to have. Though not having these coveted “must-haves” may lead to unhappiness, this is only because we feel as though we need to have them. In fact, the acquisition of such material objects rarely leads to happiness. The anonymous writer of the postcard realizes this only after circumstance leads to the loss of all their materialistic possessions. Happiness is not about the objects that you have or want, but instead what you do with that which you do have. Sometimes removing those material desires strips life down to a more simple form. It allows you to notice and appreciate the happiness that still exists in your life. This is the happiness that is not dependent on material possessions, wealth, and status. This is the true form of happiness. The happiness that stems from simply being alive.