Over millions of years, we humans have felt the need to consume more and more. This need can be defined as materialism. To be materialistic means to only value material things such as money or clothes. This is different from consumerism because it is the act of buying things, although the two terms are very similar to each other.
I think the United States is often labeled as a materialistic society because it is. Looking at history and even now, we have greedy politicians and powerful people who only value money and are very focused on themselves without taking in consideration of other people. With how popular social media is amongst young children, they are prone to becoming materialistic based on how the media glorifies having material wealth, status, and possessions. Due to materialistic people valuing possessions as more important than relationships or personal growth, this can be a big factor in them consuming so much in order to fill in the hole because they lack personal relationships. The biggest cause of the materialistic culture of the U.S. is consumerism. Someone being materialistic fuels them to be a big consumer that constantly feels the need to buy a product in order to feel happy.
Chip Colwell was no different, until his sister asked him a simple question: “Why do we have so much stuff?” Colwell, PhD, associate research professor of anthropology at CU Denver, found the question intriguing and the amount of research on the topic was sparse. So he spent five years traveling across the globe, speaking to dozens of people, and studying ancient artifacts and mementos to better understand how humans went from “needing nothing to wanting everything.” He details his findings in his latest book, “So Much Stuff: How Humans Discovered Tools, Invented Meaning, and Made More of Everything.” In it, Colwell outlines three major leaps in history, spanning millions of years, that led to today’s over-consumption—which he describes as both wondrous and dangerous.
Although the United States is a materialistic society, this does not apply to everyone. People do have genuine relationships. I have good relations with the people around me and so do they. Even though possessions can be very valuable, they are not at the center of everything and there is more to life.
Consumerism has become everything in today’s society, measuring happiness based on materials. We cannot be stuck in a system which profits from emptiness. We can choose sustainability over waste, and be intentional.
