Monday, March 30, 2009

Money, Money, Money

Please answer the follwing prompts in a detailed, fluent response. Make sure to comment on other people's views within your own response. Take your level of thinking higher.

What are your perceptions of material wealth? What is "wealth"? Do we see too much excess today? If your financial status a reflection of how successful you are? Are we always wanting more? Do we "want" too much? Is being content or fulfilled enough? When is enough enough?

29 comments:

Dani H said...

My perception of material wealth is you aren't living without money, fame, and power. Most of the things that influence me deal with celebrities and what they are wearing. Though wealth in most of the richest peoples eyes is products that can be shown such as juicy, a nice car, or money. Though I indulge in these products myself I believe wealth to be happiness. The wealthiest person in the world could have no home and mosey around doing whatever they want to. Wealth in happiness is the true definition over wealth in money. I believe we see almost everything in excess, such as clothes, food, and products. I know personally I have at least 30 pairs of shoes when I really only need one or two. I think we should limit ourselves or the world's natural resources could be extinct. I do not believe financial status is ho successful you are! I think accomplishing your goal in whatever you want to be is to be successful. Even just being happy and comfortable with the job one has is successful. I personally always want more. When I have something amazing to eat, instead of enjoying the taste, I get ready to go buy another. Though related to money some always want more, though some are happy with what they have and they don't lie and cheat to gain more for themselves. I think at times every person wants too much, but not everyone constantly indulges in his or her fantasies but helps another, such as donating. If being content and fulfilled enough for you then it is enough. People should go on how they feel not what they are told to feel. Once one is happy then that is enough but I think we should stride until we reach that "enough" feeling.

Elycia O. said...

I think that material wealth is a joke. If for one second people can be happy because of what they have then they are wrong because there is more to life than designer jeans shoes pants etc. I believe that if I were the poorest person on the earth but I had friends and family I would be more happy than the richest man on the earth that has become to greedy so that no one likes him because I would have a life filled with love while he would have a life filled of loneliness. Material wealth is nothing compared to some one who is wealthy with love.
Wealth can be many different things like material wealth, loving wealth, religious wealth etc. I believe that being wealthy in someway is having a lot of knowledge, experience, feeling, love and things like that, in cooperated in one area of ones life. Being wealthy isn't just having a lot of money but can be placed into many different aspects of our lives.
I think that as Americans we do have too much excess today because America is a very wealthy country and we spend more than we should, and we have a lot more than we should. Some where in a different country people respect three dollars where as here in America that is pocket change. We have too much money and we are all greedy people which lead to over using and spending money like it grows on a tree.
My financial status does not reflect on how successful I am at all. I am not rich by any means and I do very well in school and in sports and I truly believe as a teenager I am living very successfully.
In America everyone wants more. Once ipods came out everyone wanted them but as soon as everyone got one people wanted something cooler so apple came up with the ipod touch and then everyone threw away their "uncool" outdated ipods to get an ipod touch. Nothing will ever be satisfying for too long before people are looking for something more.
Being content for a long time depends on the person. I think that people who grew up in generations before mine have a better grasp of what content feels like because they appreciated much more than we do now. People now do not stand for just being content we always have to have more, more, more before we are content and even then the feeling last a day or two and then we find something else we want.
Enough will never be enough at the rate America is going. People are going to want more and more and pretty soon it will lead to a depression and I guess that's when it technically is enough but even yet people will still want more.
I agree with Dani H, that wealth is happiness but only if it is the right wealth. If ones idea of wealth is having all the money in the world that is not happiness to me, however if wealth is love that is happiness to me. People do not get by, by having all the money in the world but by having the love and affection of friends and family.

Allie S said...

Success cannot be defined by a single person. Each individual develops an idea of what succes will be in their life. For me, it is to surround myself with family and to keep the values I hold. If I am able to hold what I keep true in my heart now, I feel my life will be successful later regardless of wealth. Material wealth is worthless to morally true people. I love Elycia's idea that "Material wealth is nothing compared to some one who is wealthy with love." Love is a powerful tool in determining happiness. However true i may hold this, I still believe some people need material wealth to feel fulfillment. I believe this necessity is based entirely on an individual's vision of the world. Material wealth alone cannot provide happiness, it certainly needs other things to help. But i do believe in some cases it allows happiness to come easier instead of being a fight. This material wealth I am talking about is not excess. It is just enough to get by comfortably for some. We do see too much excess today. People believe that financial standing indicates success. For the American Dream in the modern world, i believe this is the common assumption. And to some people it may be entirely true, however, my life is a success based on values and people more than material. The society we live in is always wanting more. That is what drives a capitalistic economy. It is the desire to profit. Can economics really bring true profit, though? I think we do want "too" much. I myself can lead a perfectly happy life if i never recieve another gift. If I live off of only the clothes, shelter, and food I need from here on out, my life would still be comfortable. This fact, doesn't take away my desire for more though, I still want the newest music and clothing I find. Enough will never be enough in the society we live in. It is and has always been human nature to be in want, regardless of what is already available to us.

Unknown said...

I see material wealth as a way to try to show that you are better than others. It is ridiculous that just because you have a pair of jeans or a purse, that you can be better than someone who does not have that same stuff. I agree with Elycia when she said material wealth is nothing compared to someone who is wealthy in love. If we didn’t have love then I believe that the world would be extremely harsh and nothing would ever get done.
Wealth can be defined as many different things. It can be the amount of money you have in your bank account or your status in your job. But mostly, it can be, I believe, the amount of love you have in your life. Yes, your bank account has a lot to do with what you do with your life and where you live, but inside it is just a bunch of paper. This can lead to happiness because people can possess whatever they want, but then it can lead to misery because if they lose all their money they can’t have all they want anymore. If you are wealthy in love, then you could be happy forever because you will always have someone to talk to, who understands you, and knows what you need.
I believe that your financial status can be a reflection of how successful you are in the business world, but it does not mean you are successful in life. Success in life means that you are happy with whom you are and you have friends and family that love you. I believe we are always wanting more because if you were homeless you would want a house to live in and food to eat, and if you were middle class you would want more money to have a nicer house and possessions, and if you were extremely rich you would want more possessions so that people would give you the attention you were craving. This is wanting too much. I believe that if we have enough to live a happy life we should be content. But a lot of the time, it’s not enough. We see what others have and begin to see what our life could be like, which leads to us wanting more and more.

manesac said...

My perceptions of material wealth is having alot of money and being able to buy whatever you want and when you want it. There are alot of people out there that choose to spend their money on materialistic things like celebrities. My definition of "wealth" is having alot of money. If you are rich and have alot of money and buy whatever you want, I consider you to be "wealthy." We definately do see too much excess "wealth" and those people not spending their money wisely. I honestly think that everyone wishes that they were rich. If you say you wish you were not rich you would be lieing. Too many people these days spend their money on useless things and materialistic things. I do not necessarily think that your financial status reflects how successful you are because you could be very successful in acheiving your goals but not necessarily have alot of money. If i wanted to be a singer and i acheived that goal but did not make any money from doing it I would still consider myself successful. I have learned that we are always wanting more than we already have and alot of us do not appreciate what we already own. Too many of us are greedy and want the best things and want to have better things that our aquaintences. Our world has become a place where owning materialistic things has become a competition. We need to appreciate what he have and not want so much more than we already have. I do not think we will ever be content because new things are always coming out and we always want them so we will never be happy.

katie said...

I think people use material wealth as a way to try to feel better about themselves. People think that if they have a big house, nice cars, and designer clothes they will be happy and feel better than others. I don't think material wealth should be what our society judges people on. Just because someone can buy more junk than another person doesn't mean they are better or happier than others. For me, wealth isn't based on the amount of money one has. I think of wealth as the things that important in life, such as family, friends, and happiness. If someone has those things, I consider them to be "wealthy". If someone can barely pay their bills, but they love life and is happy, I consider them to be wealthier than someone who has millions of dollars sitting around, but is not enjoying life. I think there is way too much excess in today's society. Do people really need fifteen cars, a yacht, and a house that has ten bathrooms, but there are only two people living there? People focus too much on trying to impress others with possesions. Personally, I'm not going to think someone is "cool" because they drive a Lexus and wear jeans that cost $300. If someone shoves their wealth in my face I am going to think of them as insecure. Like I said before, money does not mean wealth to me. You can have all the money in the world, but have nothing to live for. I think enjoying life and making the most of it is what real wealth is. In the end, it's not going to matter how much money one makes, but how the people they knew remember them. I wouldn't want to be remembered for being greedy and just caring about money, I would want people to remember me for the time we spent together. I think many people are always wanting more. This links back to the too much excess in today's society. People think that if they have more stuff they will be happy, and I think people do want too much. I don't understand why people think if they have 200 pairs of shoes they will be happy. I do think being content and fulfilled is enough. At the end of the day, I would rather go to sleep happy and loving life than having tons of money and hating life. Money does not equal happiness and our society puts the opposite idea in people's minds. I think our society needs a change because some people are just becoming ridiculous with their possesions. Last night on TV I saw a house that was for sale worth $150 million dollars, and even had a gift wrapping room, but the person selling it was talking about how her relationship with her family was terrible and she wished it would be better. That is a perfect example that this woman has everything she could ever dream of but was not happy with life. I personally already have the "enough is enough" feeling and other people need to start realizing how insane our culture is.

Bri R said...

I think material wealth is something that too many people worry about. Materialism is nothing. We get lost in the idea of everything being easy, not having to work for what we have. This society has generated people who need instant gradification, we have developed this sense of entitlement, instead of knowing we must work hard for what we want, we look for the easiest and quickest way to do so. But even then when we achieve our goal, the one that we were so sure would make us happy beyond a doubt, we look for more ways to fill up, more materials and possessions we must own. More skills and more money. Greed has burned a hole in our hearts that will never be filled. We will never have enough.

Vivian said...

Material wealth in this world seems to be a necessity. People work and work and work, and still it is not enough. Most human beings are way too obsessive over being rich. I am not saying this with a tone of judgment because I too worry about money; I worry that in the future I will not be able to provide for my family, or that something will happen and suddenly my home will become the streets. I understand that this is a very stupid thing to worry about when I am only 16 but the world around me has made me concerned about these things. Wanting is a basic human nature, but I do feel like most people are getting greedy with their wants.

Erik said...

Like my senior pastor says "You are rich when you can make decisions". If you can choose if you want chicken or fish, do I want a WII or an Xbox 360. We live in the wealthiest part of the world. The only way we can live this way is because there are thousands of people that live miserably at our expense. We are the best part of the world. Our greed has no limit that is why we are always wanting to buy more , more and more. We have to try to be contempt with what we've got. We just don't think that we ever have enough. We are greed machines. Being contempt is enough. you have to have a limit because if not you will never be happy, you don't have to have what other people have. You should know that you have enough when your whole life lives around just getting more stuff.

Danielle S said...

By just scanning over what my peers have said so far, I have not able yet figured out if I agree or disagree with their insights about money. First of all, if you are one of the richest person in the world because somehow your parents left it for you and you have not worked for it, I think that is being greedy and selfish. But if you are one of the richest people in the world and have worked your butt off for it, then let it be. It would be nice for them to donate and share the wealth, but hey, if they worked as hard as they did and they slaved for it, then I think they deserve it. But for instinct at AHS, I mean how many of you guys actually knows what it feels like to have NO money at all? What about the people in the ghetto? I mean they are not wealthy, and I think the definition of being wealthy is having money not only for ‘needs’ but for ‘wants’ as well. Being wealthy means you can live well without a struggle to pay your bills, and to go buy material items. Material wealth are things that you do not NEED but things that you WANT. I do not think financial status is a reflection on how wealthy you are. I think though, people with money have MORE opportunities then those who do not have money. I think for example I really wanted to go to this medical thing over the summer which would definitely look good on my college resume. But because I do not have enough money, I wont be going, and this makes me have a less opportunity then people with money. Yes, as a society, we all want more and more. But it is only because it is shown in the media, or it is created. If it weren’t there, we wouldn’t want it. Yes I think being content or fulfilled is enough, but the society we live in will always want more and more. Enough is enough when you are HAPPY.

brynns said...

I agree with what Danielle is saying. If you are rich because you worked for it not because it got left for you are totally two different things. Who really cares if you are a teenager and you are wearing designer jeans, and you have a nice brand new car. You never worked for that, you are just have the thought that you need to have designer things for your appearence. Material weatlh consists of the "things" that make you happy. I don't think the thought of your finances and how successful you are should be put in the same question. You can have nothing in your bank account, and to you that may be success. Or you can be the type of person that needs to one up people by bringing up how much money you have. I think our society leaves us wanting more. Once you get the new sliding phones, they come out with the new apple phone. Our society thrives off of new age things, in the end we just end up wanting everything that is being advertised. I think being content and fulfilled coinside with one another depending on the person.

Meg P said...

Material wealth is something people use to boost their self confidence and try to make themselves more happy. Often times people think that having the most expensive purses, shoes, jeans, and the latest cell phones will make them accepted into society. I think this material wealth is useless. Can money buy happiness, or love? I don't think so. When people buy the latest and greatest new items, they may be satisfied with it for a while but soon enough, their new item will no longer be the latest and greatest. So, then people get rid of their old treasures to buy the next best items. It is an endless cycle of wasting money.

Wealth is having a great amount of something valuable. I think wealth comes in many different forms. One form of wealth, and the type of wealth people often think of, is money. Money is very valuable in society. I wish this weren't the case, because there are brilliant people who, because they don't have money, aren't able to succeed to the fullest. But, I agree with Elycia's statement that material wealth is nothing compared to someone who is wealthy in love. Being wealthy in love is the greatest wealth of all. But, people can also be wealthy in friends, success, and happiness. I would much rather be wealthy in those, than money.

I think we see too much excess in American today. Despite the fact that our financial status is significantly declining and many people are loosing jobs, people continue to spend money on unnecessary materials. We hear about how bad the market is, but we don't see it until it hits close to home, such as a relative loosing a job. We are stuck in a bad habit America has grown to be custom to: spending, spending, spending. We have grown up buying lots of clothes, electronics, and other products. We see them on celebrities, in movies, on TV, in magazines, and in books. Materialism has taken over the media, and therefor, our lives.

I somewhat think our financial status is a reflection of how successful you are. But, it depends on the person. One person's definition of success differs from others. Working at the family diner may be a success for someone, while attending Harvard may be a success for another. But, people are stereotyped for their successes. Someone who grows up to work at a Walmart would probably be characterized as unsuccessful, while they are proud and happy to be there. I just finished a book, "Where the Heart Is," and it is about a teenage girl who becomes pregnant. She is on the way to California with the baby's dad and he leaves her at a Walmart. She walks into the store with no shoes, and very pregnant. Most people would consider this girl "white trash." But, she has to manage to live at the Walmart because she has no where to go. She eventually gets a job there are pays back everything she borrowed. She is proud to be there. She is the sweetest person, and this book made me look at people in a different perspective. So, in other's eyes, maybe our financial status is a reflection of how successful we are. But does it matter what others see in us, or what we see in ourselves?

People always want more. But, I think this is a good thing. If we didn't want anything, if we had no goals, if we had nothing to work for, what is the point of living? The issue with wanting is what we are wanting. If we are wanting success, to be happy, to help others, to make a difference, what is wrong with wanting that? I don't think it is good to always want materials. It is good to want what we need and what really makes us happy, but I don't think it's good to always want what is unnecessary. It's okay to want materials sometimes, but if that is what we are always working for, I do not think that is good.

I do not think we are ever content. We may be happy with our lives and where we are today, but aren't we still working for something we want? Why do we go to school and work if its not for something we want? We are always looking forward to something in the future, and this, to me, is a good thing. I think it's good to live in the moment, but it's still good to look forward for the future and what's yet to come. I don't think enough is every enough. I think we always have something to look forward for. After we retire, I think we become more content than before. However, we still have things to look forward to. We always have things to look forward to, always have, and always will.

JaimeM said...
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JaimeM said...

Some people think that wealth and materialism are the most important things in life. They measure success based on how much money and "wealth" they have. I would beg to differ. I believe that people intend to feel proud, established, or successful when when they go out and buy things and show them off, but i think in the end, those objects end up owning the person. Materialistic wealth is just false happiness. People love instant gratification, so if they can go buy things they want, they think they will be happier when in reality, its a short lived attempt at happiness which can never be boughten. I agree with the statement “the best things in life are free” because love, family, and friends can never be purchased in a store, they are priceless. These things are necessities next to food, water and shelter, everything else is just a filler.

Even in this economy, i see people spending money that they dont have. People always want to raise their social standards, no matter what circumstance they may be in. I dont think people like that will ever be fulfilled because they will always want what they dont have.

It all boils down to WANT vs NEED.

Kris F. said...

Material wealth can aid in providing happiness because you have a greater chance to get out on life and do the out of the ordinary. Material wealth is just an experience but it is not everything because being poor can be just as joyful and being rich. Wealth is the amount of money that is owned by a person and we do see an excess of it today. People are way to obsessed with obtaining it and forget about their own happiness. Wealth should be used to make life less stressful and maybe to take a vacation to somewhere that would be a memory that would last forever. Financial status is not a reflection of success because Donald Trump was still success ful even though he lost his wealth many times over. As humans it is nature to always want more. If there is a fast car, we always want one faster. If there is a big boat, we want one bigger. We want too much in this world and can never be happy with what we have. This is both good and bad because it makes us strive to create better inventions but it also blinds us from the happiness possible in our lives. If we are content then it is enough, but there are few people that are actually content nowadays. Enough is never enough.

sschacher said...

My perception of material wealth is the only thing that matters to you is money, fame, and power. Most of the things that influence people are celebrities, what they are wearing, how much they spent, and who looks the best that cost the most. I indulge my self with products I don’t really need but I never feel that I have abused the thought of I have money and I need to spend it. The wealthiest person in the world could have no home and mosey around doing whatever they want to. Wealth in happiness is the true definition over wealth in money. I believe we see almost everything in excess, such as clothes, food, and products. We never really know what it’s like to not have everything around us when we need it. We don’t know what its like to scrape the bottom of a trash can to find one meal a day. We take advantage of money and act selfish with it instead of using to help someone who doesn’t have the necessities we do. I think we should limit ourselves or the world's natural resources could be extinct. I do not believe how much money you have how successful you are. I think accomplishing your goal in whatever you want to be is to be successful. Even just being happy and comfortable with the job one has is successful. I would rather wake up and get paid medium wage at a job I love than to wake up every morning dreading my life and making a lot of money. I think at times every person wants too much. People should go on how they feel not what they are told to feel.

Abby S said...

Material wealth can be percieved as someone who lives above themselves. Someone who may be insecure may buy nice clothing to give off an image that is not true beauty, but materialistic beauty. Also, a material wealthy person can be used to make up the other wealth they lack. Some people may find themselves unhappy, therefore, making up for it with indulging themselves in expensive items. To me, wealth is exactly what Dani said: Happiness. Wealth is the confort, the knowledge, and the happiness in one self. True wealth is having a fat bulldog as your best friend, ha. A truely wealthy person is someone who is surrounded by people they love and the people that love them back. America is a bellowing society of excess. The excess of wealth has become an acceptance in our country. People want to atain a certain amount of excess because we envy the the people that have it. People look up to excess, as appossed to looking up to a true hero fighting for our country. we are always striving for bigger, and better things. Are we ever fully satisfied? I think a financial status can be a reflection of who we are, as long as you have atained your goals and dreams to become finacially successful. We can however achieve success without our financial status aswell; by putting one foot in front of the other and striving towards our goals, we can accomplish success. Unfortunatly, in our society finacial success is the greatest success. Personally, I am always wanting more. Although I am always striving for more, I also want others to be able to have more aswell. Ones success is everyones success, especially in a socialistic society. No we do not "want' to much. The wanting is what keeps us motivaded to strive for more. Want is our greatest motivater. If there werent any wants or need then why would we try to be happy or successful? Absolutely, if you are content or fulfilled in life, then what more would you want? What more would you need? Which brings us back to that we need our wants to make us succcessfull so we can be wealthy in more ways then one. Enough, will never be enough. There is no ending point. Fire wasn't enough, cave wasn't enough, ipod won'tbe enough. There will always be more. We will never have enough.

Dylan L said...

Material wealth rules our world. Much of my everyday life deals closely with material wealth, anything from the cloths I choose to wear to the car I drive, everything has some relation to material. Like Dani, I like to indulge in materialistic wealth too; although I believe that material wealth often leads people to stereotype others by the brands they wear and the materialistic goods they posses. Wealth can be depicted in many different ways; personally I see it as having a plethora of happiness. I don’t fully believe wealth can be judged by ones pay check. Although having money is a type of wealth, people’s dignity, self-being, and pride are priceless. I believe our generation is brainwashed, allowing us to let materialistic garbage get in the way of what is truly important. Financial status should in no way have any reflection on ones success. Being successful is being happy, doing what one loves, enjoying life as it is meant to be live. Money is useless in heaven, so why waste the little time we are given on earth to chase such a minor part of ones life. I do believe money is important and we all need it to get by, but letting it overcome ones beliefs and selflessness just to make a few dollars is crazy. People always want more; I find it extremely frustrating when people compare certain aspects of their lives to others. People should just be happy with the life they have, there is always someone worse off. People need to just enjoy everything they do have instead of dreading what they don’t. I believe people do want too much. It’s not bad to set goals to work towards, but many people set unrealistic goals, setting them up for failure. Being content is not enough, being happy is everything.

addies2010 said...

I think that material wealth depends on the person. It's not the same for everyone. Material wealth for one might be owning a one room apartment which keeps them off the streets and enough money to buy food for the week, while for another it might mean having lots of cars and a big mansion. Wealth to me, is having a loving family, good friends, and a happy outlook on life. Wealth means different things to different people. I think that if you're truly happy with your life and your decisions, then you have a great amount of wealth.
Everyone's definition of success is different, but I think that in the world today success is measured by the amount of money you have, which isn't how it should be. I think that because of all the peer pressure and media pressure today that everyone is always wanting more of something. More money, more cars, a bigger house, nicer clothes, what have you. And I think that we get greedy, and we want bite off more than we can chew. I agree with Manesa when she says that our world has become so materialistic that everything is basically a competition. The more you have, the better you are, the closer you are to "winning".
People are always wanting the newest and best things. So until people obtain those things, I don't think they will ever consider themselves fulfilled or content. Enough can never be enough...someone will always want more, starting up the competition again.

Tiffanyvvv said...

I absolutely agree with Meghann, material wealth is just a way to show off who has more money. Whether its better brands or newer models, material wealth is drilled into today’s society. There is obviously so much of material wealth in today’s society but it is necessary for our economy, the drive, the competition for something better. People are wanting more and more but I dream of stability in my future, stability financially and in love. I would be successful if I am happy with my life and I have tried my hardest to achieve my goals. People are wanting more and more because they don’t want to settle, its like relationship. Look at the online dating and speed dating out in the world, you try to find the person that best “fits” you, depending on your standards and if they collide and if not people move on to look for better. But what will really fulfill you? Will wealth really fulfill you? Or love? Or compatibility? Is there a limit to wealth?

Anonymous said...

Material wealth just comforts our lives, it doesn't really do anything it's just there to keep us company. Wealth is something you work for, not necessarily buying things with your wealth, just working for it. Wealth doesn't have to mean how many possessions or how expensive your material items are. Wealth can be what you amount up to during the course of which you are earning the salary you worked for. So be it if you leave your hard worked money to the generations that come after you, your family earned it. I believe we do see excess in bulk, but doesn't wanting something make you strive or work harder to get it? We don't know if everyone works harder to get the newest technology out there or newest style of clothing, so who are we to judge? I think that if you are working towards being successful that money is included in the plan. I believe we are always wanting more but that's what comes with our new technology based society. It's embedded in our minds that we can have what ever we want. It depends on what we want if we are wanting too much. Maybe we want too much of food, but we give half of it away. Maybe we want too much clothes, but we end up donating them back after a year or two. I think too much want can go both ways. I don't think we are ever content with what we have or what we've become, there is something always saying it could be better. Life has taught us that something will come along that will always be better than it was before, which is sad to think about. Can anyone be normal? We have to be extraordinary if we want to get into college now. Can everyone that is accepted be more extraordinary than the last? I would say enough is enough when you feel like you haven't lived life. I don't really agree with what Meghann said about love being all you need to have a successful life though. Love just sounds too simple and life is definitely not simple. It sounds very unrealistic to live in a world where love is all you need, no pun intended. I think love is a part of a pie chart of life but it's not the only piece there. We have to figure out the rest of the pieces to have a content and successful life.

Unknown said...

trash trash trash Joker had a point, let it all burn. "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's." Technology the pointless traps to catch the masses. Hours of dedication the only pursuit, history winding back back back. Screaming, burning, freezing, in the emotionless void created by the many. The cattle only no purpose to them not milk or meat. Money money piles of money trading paper for piles of dirt. The rainbow is so close. Fist flying. Fingers grabbing. Leaves blown by the wind, piles of sand. "Success is getting what you want, Happiness is having what you want."

TylerF said...
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TylerF said...

Material wealth: everyone’s addiction. Material wealth is something we are taught to chase, but not only to chase it to expand it once it is caught. It is an idea that feeds the world’s inability to remain content. Whether or not we choose to acknowledge it, we all want it to different extents. Some want just enough to get by, some want more then the mints can produce, either way it is something we all must have to live. Yes, much like everyone else, I agree we see far too much of it, and that is why we continue to crave more. It is everywhere; on TV, the internet, and the mall. Does this define how successful we are? WHO CARES? Why do we chase material success when there are SO many greater things in life to pursue? What happened to pursuing friendships, and relationships with more then just someone’s text inbox? We don’t know how to interact with others anymore, that is the price some are willing to pay for this success. People would rather work their lives away just for something that won’t matter when the economy crashes. Now that it has, people don’t have anything to fall back on, or a shoulder to cry on. Something material will never make a heart content, which is why we should indulge ourselves in relationships, family and friends. These can do more then fill a heart, but they can mend a broken one too, which for me is far more successful then any success money can bring

CodyK said...

Material wealth is everywhere in our society. I’m not going to say I don’t have any brand name or material stuff, but the brand isn’t that important to me. In our society all we here about is celebrity gossip and what someone is wearing or doing in their social life. It’s more important now how you look than how you are as a person. Wealth in our world is all circled around money, not necessarily happiness but money. I think we see way to much excess now. A lot of people have closets of clothing that they don’t even wear, when there are millions of people who wish they had good cloths. I don’t think so but I believe most people look at you being successful or not by your financial status and that’s sad. There are so many successful people whose jobs just don’t make as much as others do. I think we always do want more and I think that’s just part of being a human. Its part of our nature to want more or else we wouldn’t be nearly as far as we are today. Some people want to much and that can either help or really hurt a person. You should never be satisfied with what or where you’re at in anything you do to a point and enough is when you’ve done all you can to do the best at whatever your doing no matter what it is.

ky k. said...

As Elycia said, “material wealth is a joke.” No matter what we have it is our natural instinct to want and want, and no matter what we get we will never have enough. Although many times we think that if we just get this new car, or these new shoes, or this new house we won’t want anymore, but that isn’t true. We may be satisfied for a few months or even a few years, but after a while that won’t be enough and we’re just going to want more. “Wealth” is how much money and material possessions that you have, and although it’s nice to have stuff and money that won’t make you ever truly happy. Today we see way to much excess. Everything that is thrown at us today by the media is to buy and buy and get the latest and best stuff out there. The media is telling us that what we have is old fashioned and that we won’t be cool unless we get the newest stuff. As we learned earlier this year the basics of life are the things that can make us truly happy. It would be better for us if we just lived on the basics of life because then we wouldn’t always worry about who had the better looking outfit or whatever, and we would worry more about what we could do to make us truly happy. Your financial status doesn’t reflect how successful you are because many people just inherit lots of money from their parents and family. Only that person can truly decide how successful they are because of their personal expectations and dreams. In some ways it’s the opposite for many people because those that do what they love and work really hard can many times not make much money because it’s something they love but not a high paying job. As I said earlier we always want more, and the main reason for this is because the media is always trying to tell us what’s cool and what isn’t. Enough enough is like what Cody said and that it’s when you have done all you can and worked as hard as you can and you can’t do anymore, and if you have done this then you will be successful.

Anonymous said...

Material wealth creates a cycle of greed that can be hard for people to escape. When we think we want or need money what we are really wanting is happiness. We do it all the time. How many times have you said to your parents, "If I get this, I won't ever ask for anything again."? We always end up wanting more, and the only way to break that cycle is to realize that material things WON'T make you happy. True wealth comes from yourself. Making a great achievement, finding a good friend, or just being happy with the way things are; these things are true wealth. We draw happiness from our achievements, not from our bank account. Finding contentness or fulfillment in life is more than enough for us, because when you think about it, that is our ultimate goal. No matter what direction we pursue in life, we all ultimately seek the fulfillment that these options could provide. What makes us unique is that we all have different ways of going about this. I agree very much with Eric's perspective of American greed. We are living in a sort of concealment from the rest of the world. With our great wealth comes a great weight on our shoulders. We CHOOSE to ignore impoverished countries and people to feed our own ignrance. Convincing ourselves that all is well in the world does nothing but blind from the truth. Until we gain more compassion for other nations we will always face poverty, hunger and terrorism.

ashleighm said...

My perception of material wealth is that it can reflect the things you enjoy and what you believe to be valuable. Wealth to me is something that can be achieved by following your dreams. What you wish to attain in the end will end up being the wealth of what you wanted. I think financial status is only a reflection of how successful you are to a point. If money is all you need to feel successful than the things that truly matter in life won’t mean very much to you. I believe that it is human to never feel completely satisfied and that life can be a journey to f try to find the things that truly satisfy you the most. I think fulfillment and having enough is only measured by the individual. Only they can decide when they have found certain materialism to satisfy them.

Chase K. said...

Of course material wealth is good to have, everyone wants to own and have nice cars, houses, and materials, but I guess those are not too important. I mean yes I strive to make money and to be able to buy these things, but they are not the most important things. I believe wealth is having the amount of money to be able to live comfortably. We definetly see too much excess money through the media and celebrities. We see these extravegant lifestyles as a "norm", so we believe we need to have the same things as them. No, I do not believe financial status reflects the success of a person. A person could be the highest rank of their profession, but that profession may not pay well. Another example is Gahndi. He made almost no money but was successful in helping India be de-colonized form England. Yes, we do always want more, it is part of human nature. But we do need to control how much is acceptable, and how much we are willing to fight for. Being content is enough, but people do not believe that it is enough. People strive to have the "good life: because they think it will make them happier. I cannot answer "when is enough enough", it really has to do with you and how much you personally think you need.