Escaping the Materialism Trap: Finding True Happiness
With the holiday season upon us, it’s easy to get caught up in placing our values in giving gifts and in what we receive. It’s difficult not to get excited by all of the TV commercials and ads in the paper about bargain Christmas gifts, brand new cellphones and great deals on TVs. But now is the best time of year to find freedom from being attached to the impermanent in our lives. Giving up the idea that the more you own, the happier you are is a key step to achieving spiritual freedom. Recognizing the importance of being grateful and content within ourselves will allow us to find true happiness, one that can’t be taken away – and outlasts the thrill of the holidays.
The Root of Materialism: Chasing Illusions of Happiness
When you take away the material, what’s left over? Basing our lives around the things money can buy not only hollows out our existence, but it also leads us to neglect the spiritual side of life. According to Steve Taylor, Ph.d., “…there is no correlation between wealth and happiness. The only exception is in cases of real poverty, when extra income does relieve suffering and brings security.” So, why do we go to such great lengths to get pay raises, upgraded iPhones, luxury cars, immaculate houses and expensive gifts? While enjoying material pleasures isn’t inherently wrong, believing that material wealth leads to permanent happiness is a dire mistake.
The more weighed down you are by your desire for material objects, the more heavy your spirit becomes. Imagine this: if you weighed all of your wealth – your handbags, shoes, TVs, and other transient possessions – and put that weight on your body, how easy would it be for you to move forward? If someone told you that you had to throw all of these things away, right now, how would you feel? Material goods are fine when they’re acknowledged for what they are: temporary sources of pleasure. These goods have no connection to your true happiness or contentment. While material goods bring us happiness in the moment, this sense of happiness is shallow and fleeting, or else Apple wouldn’t have to keep developing new electronics and car dealerships would fall into financial ruin! True happiness begins with inner peace. Yet the more we neglect finding inner peace, the more we constantly need to supply ourselves with material objects to give us the illusion of true happiness, buying new things to replace the joy the old things gave us as soon as their novelty wears off.
Practicing Gratefulness Paves the Way to Freedom
The beauty of buying a shiny new object is found in the way it boosts the ego. The ego shadows the true self, and it can become very powerful and all-consuming. Unfortunately, materialism feeds the ego, making us feel strong, safe and secure in a harsh and impoverished world, while our true self suffers in silence, begging for something more – something permanent, something with a greater essence than what earthly pleasures give. But by practicing gratefulness and showing gratitude to others around us, we can nourish the power of our true self and find freedom from the chains of materialism.
Practicing gratefulness is incredibly healing and allows us to find happiness in the many gifts that life gives us on a daily basis: our loving friends and family, the joy of music, a beautiful sunset – even the simplest of things, like good food and pure water, which most of the world does not have. Rejoicing in the things we do have, especially what we can’t physically hold, will quiet our egos and allow us to be truly happy.
Be At Peace With Yourself and Happiness Will Follow
When we compare ourselves to other, it’s difficult not to feel a little insecure. As an artist, I’m all too familiar with the occasional experience of self-doubt that comes with looking at another painter’s artwork and comparing it to my own. Suddenly, I wonder if my own work still stands as the excellent piece I once thought it to be. The joy I once had over my own accomplishment fades away, and anxiety takes its place. With material objects, the ego operates ruthlessly and in a similar fashion: the more we compare our things to what others have, the more miserable, insecure and materialistic we become.
Finding genuine happiness requires us to stop comparing ourselves to other people and what they have. Owning a better car than your neighbor or having the nicest clothes out of everyone at your office isn’t the cure for your own inner discontent. Living for yourself and not according to the standards of others will release you from the materialism trap. By showing yourself love and appreciating your talents and the accomplishments you’ve made, it’s easy to walk away from competing in one of life’s most pointless games.
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