What are the alternatives to our material world?

Question

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Question context:
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In 1984 (somewhat appropriate isn't it?) , Madonna released a hit single called 'Material Girl' with a chorus line that went:
"Living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl"
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Since then market economies and consumer culture has become a global phenomenon; with China and India set to carry the flame forwards in years to come. Most of the things in our lives are expendable and consumable, even faith is sometimes traded for small luxuries. Perhaps the bonds with the people we love are the only things left untouched.
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So is there an alternative to the material world? What will the future hold? Do you enjoy the consumer lifestyle?
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Andrew E @ http://www.tenth-circle.com

Just to clarify for the infidels. I'm not claiming that materialsim began with Madonna, I'm simply giving a temporal reference point to contextualise the debate in the modern era.

Answer 1

I understand that our consumer lifestyle is responsible for our own discontentment as we feel that we have nothing to look forward to; We have everything we have been everywhere and cannot see what the future holds, but modernity is craved for amongst most of Western civilisation. And it would be very hard to deny ourselves what consumerism dictates what we buy. Like sheep all looking for an identical piece of grass.

Do I enjoy a consumer lifestyle well I have to be honest and say yes. Though I do not like the throw away culture that has developed along side this lifestyle; it angers me to see perfectly good household items confined to the skip.

I will also admit that once I have that 'Must Have Item' in my grasp it very quickly becomes unimportant. So what does that tell you? Perhaps we should all get more physical and spiritual. Then we may get some sort equilibrium in our lives whereby we can be more content with want we have and not what we want.

Answer 2

LOL wow..Is that claiming we are all materialistic because Madonna said so? ahhahahaha It started long before that.. How can people talk about trying to change our "material world" by using material things to do it with? a.k.a your computer... They will always come out with better, faster, cheaper, or expensive, things for us to acquire..If you don't want it, don't buy it.. Everyone is a consumer, we are not all self reliant to make the things we need to live in present day society. Unless you choose to become Amish and live off the land, there is no alternative.

Answer 3

Live simple. Don't try and accessorize yourself or become unique through consumer products. Question everything you've learned up until now, someones profiting somewhere.

Living in a capitalistic society is like getting one big sales pitch after another. The truth is hard to see, but there are many roads to finding it.

You aren't what you own, and there actually ARE alternatives, just most folks think happiness comes from trading their souls for walmart crap.

Answer 4

I think if people cared more about their environment and the people around them then the expensive pointless cars they put underneath their butts or their extravagant houses. You know so it' wouldn't be about Materialism it'd be about more important stuff like keeping us alive by not using up all our resources.

Answer 5

Monkhood/Nunnery

Answer 6

materialism is the deepest instiution in human society and has lasted for over ten thousand years and from the look of the world today it does not look like it is disapeering any time soon

Answer 7

The real world is the spiritual world. Remember we are spiritual beings have an earthly existance.

I strongly encourage you to seek God as you understand him and grow spiritually.

Remember, even tho the body you have now will die, your soul will not- it lives forever

Answer 8

its called Buddhism.