Shelby
How can we learn to become less materialistic?
Posted on: 01/12/2007 23:36
Hi Everyone,
First off I would like to apologize if I spelled materialistic wrong (or any other words for that matter), spelling has never been one of my strong points.
Anyway, I have just started reading the book A Purpose Driven Life. It is quite good and talks about how we should devote our life to following Jesus and listening to what God would like us to do with our time our earth. I find it very facinating and motivating, but at the same time discouraging. They talk about giving everything up for God and living a life undevoted to money and possessions. When I think about this, I believe it would be great to be able to not care about money, or a birthday present, or be totally obsessed with an actor, or any of that other stuff that has to do with me, myself, and I. But then I get thinking, what would I do without my favourite movie, or my favourite necklace? Sure I would survive, life would go on, and I would fine; but of course those things would be missed. It is difficult in a world with so much to buy or want, to not get attached to things you really shouldn't. It made me think about how many things I really do seem attached to and how I may go about changing that. But then I wonder, does that mean I am not supposed to enjoy things I buy for myself? Should I only be buying what I need, or is endulging in myself okay?
Shelby
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WSchnauzer
Posted on: 01/13/2007 09:52
Good topic and one I think many of us struggle with. I don't see anything wrong with enjoying the things around us on this earth. I don't believe God put us on this earth filled with such joys and delights so we could sit around and be faithful by not enjoying them.
But (and there is always a "but" in these answers isn't there?) at some point we can become so engrossed by material things, in shopping, in having, in getting more, that the things in our life become more important than God and the people around us. And then I think we have a problem. A very serious problem because we have forgotten what things are and their proper place in life.
God gave us things to enjoy and I don't think has any concerns when we do enjoy them. But when they become a barrier to us living as God has called us to live then we need to take stock, change our ideas and actions, and put those "things" back in their proper place- as an extra in life rather than the main purpose for us living.
RevJamesMurray
Posted on: 01/14/2007 15:10
Do we really need most of what we have? No. Do we enjoy it all? Sometimes. For a little different perspective check out The Compact
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thecompact/
who vowed to buy nothing new for a year. It changed them more than they thought.
MikePaterson
Posted on: 01/14/2007 16:00
Do you mean to ask about 'getting happy'?
My experience would be...
LOVING does it. (by which I mean becoming wholly engaged outside oneself... its opposite, I believe, is contentment)... so does getting poor-er: I don't mean abject desperate poverty, But not being able to afford knick-knacks and impulse buys, and needing to make some choices... that helps. And so does living more on one's faith than one's 'goals': goals seem to feed the propagation of imagined "needs". If you ARE poor. then trying to think more about 'doing' than 'getting' is helpful.
Things are very easily lost and have very little real value. I don't think 'things' have ever brought me much happiness, except to the extent they can be shared. That can be a lot of fun. Beauty is a great restorative and tonic: but you can find beauty almost anywhere... it's one of the most abundant and most valuable things available to us and just requires us to use our senses (look even at the symmetry and form and colour of a blade of grass). I also believe that beauty can impart quite a lot of morality: doing what's ugly or repugnant is usually also "bad", and vice versa.
.... sorry, blethering.... wandering again.
Witch
Posted on: 01/14/2007 15:55
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Jadewoman
Posted on: 01/15/2007 12:08
What a difficult question. I think there are different ways for different people. Sometimes it a matter of literally removing yourself from the system, to gain some perspective on your life and what matters to you.
I know several people who after traveling to poorer countries came back with different perspectives. For me it happened when I went tree planting. For 6 months I lived in the bush with only the things I could carry and a tent. It changed my perspective and my values in a significant way. I remember vividly what happened when I came back. I literally sat in my room for hours in a daze, surrounded by mounds of my stuff and came to the sound realization that I didn't need 95% of it.
I come from a family of pack rats so this was major revelation.
Of course removing yourself geographically isn't possible for everyone but I think there are other ways to create the space for changing perspective. I like the idea of not buying anything new for a year, or perhaps trying it for just one month, or focus on something that you personally are attached to.
I also think it's important to do an evaluation on how we ourselves judge other people in relation to the stuff they have. Do you think more of a person because they have and expensive car or home? Their clothes? I've found this type of outward/inward look can tell a lot about perceptions and values we have for ourselves as well and can be a good starting point.