Materialism

Life is full of responsibilities. We have responsibilities to each other and to ourselves. One of our responsibilities is to work.

We need to work to stay afloat in society and to be productive members of our community. Without work our social and economic structure would fall apart, but what are we working towards?

Are we working towards an ultimate goal in our lives, or for the lives of our descendents? Are we working to feel like we have achieved something, or are we just working to afford our materialistic lifestyles?

Our working lives begin when we enter school. We become socially involved with our peers, and we are distanced from our parents. We work toward the goals set for us, achieving what we have to academically to be considered prepared for life.

School doesn't only prepare us intellectually, it also sets us up to be successful socially. We learn to mingle and to be "socially acceptable." We learn "dress codes" set by our friends, standards that we have to meet in order to be "normal."

We learn how to speak, act and present ourselves. We begin to collect possessions. These individual items soon become fortunes that amass throughout our lives.

Why are material possessions so important to us? Is it the American way to collect and hoard every item that passes by?

Materialism is an epidemic in America. It has come to affect every aspect of our lives. Every day we are bombarded by ads that are intended to grab our attention and spur spontaneous spending.

We are a country of consumers, and every industry knows it. The beauty industry has sunk its hooks deep into the cash flow that is our society. Plastic surgery, tanning booths, spray-on tanning, make-up and other modes of achieving the ideal look have become a billion dollar industry, and women are not the only people flocking to them. Men have become surprisingly bronze throughout long winter months.

A society driven by the needs of the people it consists of is healthy. A society that feeds on the wants of the populous has become poisoned.

There is nothing wrong with material goods, but material goods in excess provide the makings of a consumer giant. For many people, the consequence of their materialism is mounting debt.

Credit Cards have made astounding debt possible to an astonishing number of people. There is no limit to how much Americans will spend, or what they will spend it on.

Materialism is a personal choice, yet it doesn't seem that we all make it independently. The society we have been raised in has adapted us to our wants, instead of our needs, and it is impossible to completely divert from them.

Sarah Rosten is a senior at Detroit Lakes High School.