Living In a Material World...Am I a Material Girl?

Sorry about the relapse into the 80s music scene, but Holy Cow! I just read the best article in the most current issue of the BYU Magazine! It's called Enjoy a Richer Life and it looks at the attitudes of materialism and how it affects our relationships. I mean, who are we kidding? Materialism is everywhere, and every one of is affected by it to one degree or another. Gotta get our kid certain brand clothing, send them to the right preschool, take the vacation to the right place, buy the latest gizmo. Media and society are constantly telling us what we have to have in order to have "the good life". But frankly, I haven't noticed a correlation between a happier life and whitened teeth.

Anyway, I highly suggest clicking on the above link, or if you don't have time you could read the following "executive summary," (you will miss some good insights though) because this is seriously good stuff. I am seeing personally in my extended family how focusing on material goods is seriously harming some relationships.

Carroll, the researcher, defines materialism as placing a high importance on material possessions as the means to achieving personal happiness and a sense of well-being. Several studies have shown that people who have a materialistic orientation report lower levels of happiness and feel less connection in relationships. The income is not important, it's the attitude that matters.

Are you a material girl? The article gives us these 5 questions to ask ourselves:

1. Am I looking up the economic ladder or down?

2. How much is my mood impacted by either the lack or the attainment of a physical possession?

3. Do I discard or stop using perfectly good items because they’re not the latest style or technology?

4. Do I confuse needs and wants?

5. Do I value and judge people based on material distinctions?

And ways to change:

1. Be aware of your benchmark and comparison points. If you’re looking up, work on changing that perspective so that you’re focusing—with humility and compassion—on those who have less than you do, not more. Savor the material things you enjoy, be grateful for them, and share what you have with those less fortunate.

2. Resist “parental peer pressure.” Many parents compare themselves to their peers just as their children do. If they can stand up to the pressure of seeing other parents giving their children material things and excessive “experience” (being involved with everything under the sun), they will cultivate less materialistic attitudes.

3. Realize there is a price to be paid for living the gospel, and some of it is financial. We tend to think we can have large families, pay tithing, keep up our food storage, make charitable contributions, and send children on missions without settling for a lower standard of living. “We have expectations based on an American standard of living that’s largely driven by smaller, two-income families. We want to replicate that standard of living on a single income and all these additional expenses,” says Carroll.

4. Refresh your gospel perspective about material possessions. Review the Savior’s teachings, such as his warning against covetousness in Luke 12:15, “for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Reread the Book of Mormon for its warnings about how the trappings of prosperity can destroy individual souls and entire nations.

One insight I hadn't thought of before is that he addresses the "experience consumer." This is the person who insists their children have violin lessons, martial arts training, and compete in soccer leagues. If we take this too far, we have another form of materialism--the experiences that money and resources can buy. Hmmm. Never thought about it like that.