026261197X.01._AA_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpeLao Zsu-
Chase after the money and security
And your heart will never unclench
Care about people’s approval
And you will be their prisoner.
Do your Work, then step back
The only path to serenity

The Dangers of materialism and “keeping up with the joneses” has been around since 500b.c – This detracts from what is important in life. No matter how renowned the orator or often the speech is given; it is still drowned out or downplayed

I have been reading the book “The high Price of Materialism” by Tim Kassar and I find his work enlightening and his surveys both interesting and a bit depressing. It comes across as depressing, in some of his surveys, is that so much of a person’s desire for materialism is based on their self-worth or lack of it, how they perceive themselves in the world, other insecurities and how much of a narcissist they are.

“Almost everyone believes that getting what you want makes you feel good about yourself and your life….. However, people who are wildly successful in their attempts to attain money and status often remain unfulfilled once they have reached their goals.”

Before Silicon Graphics, Clark said a fortune of 10 Million dollars would make him happy; before Netscape, 100 Million dollars; before Healtheon, a billion; now, he told Lewis, “Once I have more money than Larry Ellison, I’ll be satisfied.” Ellison the found of the software company Oracle, is worth 13 Billion dollars.
–A Quote concerning Jim Clark, founder of Netscape and other companies

I would never have connected freedom to materialism either, but Tim and his surveys found the following:
…People with a strong orientation to materialism tend to place less value on freedom and self-expression, and thus decrease their likelihood of having experiences characterized by these qualities….Strongly materialistic people often feel controlled and alienated in several aspects of their live and thus their needs for autonomy and authenticity are relatively poorly satisfied.

If you are interested in materialism and the psychology of it this is a wonderful book, some of the surveys get quite detailed and boring for me, but that could be do to my own impatience while reading at times. All in all a solid book to check out from the library or add to your own library.