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Where did we go wrong? How did our society become so obsessed with materialistic gain? Why can’t we be satisfied? What drives us to constantly want more?

Look at our lives today. Things have certainly gone past the point of having our basic needs met. There is a constant drive to work harder and accumulate wealth. There is a constant need to improve our standard of living and better ourselves. There is an obsessive need to establish our social status and always strive for as much material gain as possible. We are programmed by society to believe that this is the only road to happiness and self-fulfillment. We are made to feel guilty when we don’t work as hard and as long as possible. We are made to feel bad about ourselves when compared to others who have managed to become more successful then we are, thus, tempting us to work harder.

The need to compete, adds to our daily stress – and it’s so unnecessary! We simply have to look at the big picture and think about what we’re sacrificing to achieve all this material gain. Long commutes, long work days, workplace stress, no family life, more debt, more taxes, and little time for relaxation.

As we climb the social ladder, we may find that we are trading our freedom for an idealized lifestyle - a lifestyle that may never be reached for many, as the need to accomplish more will never be quenched. Very few will reach the point were they will say, “Ok, that’s enough, I’m content.” The need to press on and constantly break through new barriers is a very distinctive human trait. What other species will take so much more than it needs to survive?

I’m not saying that the economic system we have in place is a bad thing. For example, one hundred years ago, a person would be required to have many more skills than we have today – just to survive. You needed to provide your own food and shelter directly. That involved a much more hands-on approach. You had to be able to grow crops, tend animals, and build homes – just to name a few. The physical labor involved here would kill most of us today.

As the economy became more sophisticated, we started to specialize. We were able to choose a career that would be our niche in a complex system. We invented and built machines to do most of the manual labor much more efficiently. We no longer needed to grow our own food and build our own homes. We simply worked at a very specialized job, received a paycheck, and purchased our necessities – simple.

This system allowed us to enjoy products from all areas of the world. It provided medical services and emergency services. The only catch was that each of us had to do our part to contribute our talents and efforts. We could simply do our job and enjoy life.

Somewhere along the way, and I’m not entirely sure when, we were sidetracked. What were once luxuries, now became necessities. We felt an urge to work towards some elusive goal. We needed to keep up with the rest of society. We strived to accumulate more wealth. We were no longer satisfied with having the basics.

We are now at the point where both parents likely hold down full-time jobs – and they would argue that it’s necessary in order to survive. What’s next? It has to stop somewhere. We’ve got the, “if one is good, than more must be better,” mentality. Overindulgence in anything is never a good thing.

We are trading material goods for leisure time. The economic system we have in place could easily allow us to enjoy more leisure time without any hardship whatsoever. Instead, we continue to work even harder. Does that make sense?

The government argues that consumer spending means a healthy economy, and they encourage this. Who cares about global warming, smog, environmental destruction? They care as much about that, as they do about the population burning themselves out with being overworked.

The system is currently one big free-for-all. There are no controls in place. If you can afford it, then you can buy it. How big does a house have to be? How many cars do you need? Do we ever consider that the planet’s resources are finite?

What if we all learned to just get by with less? There would be fewer hours worked, fewer cars on the road, and more family time. There would be more time to create, contemplate and grow as individuals. We could still enjoy the comforts and security of a modern society, and have more of what’s really important – time.

An example of getting by with less, or self-imposed deprivation, as some would call it, might mean cutting down on your work hours, downsizing your home, getting by with a single vehicle, walking more, selling your gadgets, and learning to live more simply and more economically.

We would never allow this to happen, however. We will continue to work flat out, all in the name of social status and material greed. We will continue to be brainwashed by corporations, governments and the media. We will continue to be “shamed” into working as many hours as physically possible – to become a success, as defined by society.

No, thanks, I’ve got my own plan, and I refuse to be influenced any longer.