Tis The Season For Materialism

Something that always has and probably always will bother me is materialism. I feel like it the constant source of tearing people apart. I want nice things as much as the next person, but where do we draw the line? How much is too much? How can certain people justify their need of "things"?

Unfortunately, I feel like my generation and those younger than me are the worst. They have a certain entitlement for the best of the best. It literally makes me sick to see college aged kids and younger walking around with the newest technology, in the most expensive shoes/clothes and carrying designer purses. What for? You are a fickle teen to 20-something. Soon that item will be "out of style" and your parents will have to purchase you the next newest thing. I guess what bothers me the most about this is, the person with these items, is not working for them 80-90% of the time. And if said teen- to 20-something is actually paying for these items, how? Even on sale some of these items are still ridiculously priced. Most of the time, these people are putting these items on credit cards and racking up debt to impress people. How stupid is that? Why not save to go on an amazing trip, pay for your education, pay for your future children's education, invest in a hobby or business, donate to a charity, or do some thing for someone in your life that really matters to you? Or just pay your bills and live on a budget? (What a concept!!!)

I have never participated in Black Friday and I never will, for these reasons: 1) I hate mornings. 2) I hate crowds 3) I hate shopping 4) I don't need anything that bad and 5) Seeing the greed in these people would make me lose all faith in humanity. I can understand wanting to get a great deal if you are really on a budget and have a lot of people to buy Christmas gifts for but I feel like this is rarely the case. It really hurts me to hear about people being trampled, threatened or hurt every year on Black Friday. What kind of sick human being are you to think that your life and a stupid TV or whatever it is, is more important than another person's life?

I have everything I need. Do I sometimes think that I want more? Of course I do! I am human. But I have an apartment to live in, a car that is reliable enough to allow me to do the traveling I need to for work, plenty of clothes (though most of them are over 4 years old),enough shoes, and a comfy (pretty old) bed to sleep in. Many of you know that I am not a materialistic person. I don't go shopping often, most everything that I buy is on sale and I will NEVER own a designer purse. I don't need to be a status symbol. I don't need to blend in to our overly materialistic generation.

We are becoming a generation of lost soles and the only thing that matters is what we have, not what we can bring to life that matters. We are losing substance. We are losing touch of individuals that really matter and things that really matter. I strive everyday to be a person of substance. I strive to educate myself constantly on what is going on in our World and what really matters. I hope to someday be very successful at what I do, and I hope that I remain humble and giving. I hope I never get so wrapped up in the "things" I have that I forget about the people I have in my life.