Materialism

“Who covets more is evermore a slave.” – Robert Herrick

If you always want more “things”, you’re always going to be a slave to materialism. You think, “I’ll be happy when I get that new (insert item here).”

But when that moment comes, when you finally get what you think you’ve wanted, you realize how quickly the joy of having that item fades. You get that initial surge of excitement when you purchase it, but within a few days, weeks, or months, that excitement will have waned.

Be careful around this time of year. Black Friday. Cyber Monday. It’s all just a ploy for us to buy more things that we don’t need and won’t use. Add it to the ever growing pile of stuff in our basement.

Instead of always buying new things and bringing them into your home, try donating items that you haven’t used in a while. Go to your local thrift shop, Goodwill, or Salvation Army. Try cleaning out your closet and your basement – decluttering has a way of bringing temporary calm and peace to your life.

Finally, try to remember what the holiday season (and life) is all about. Family. Friends. Being generous to others. Being nice to strangers. This time of year can be stressful if you allow it to be, so choose not to be stressed, and not to contribute to this culture of materialism as much as possible.