CCXVI: Le matérialisme

Because somehow it sounds more sophisticated in French.

Humour me while I ponder the following: why is the world driven by money?

It all started when I thought about how pharmaceutical companies court doctors and specialists, taking them out to fancy dinners and sparing no expense. And all so that they will prescribe their drugs. Everyone needs to earn a living, and of course it's nice to be treated to things once in awhile, but do these pharmaceutical reps wholeheartedly stand behind these drugs? Would they want their parents or children taking them? Do they feel any sense of moral obligation? Is it just all in a day's work? Or is it greed?

I'm not in a place to judge, and I know that people should not be defined by their careers, so I'll abandon the reps and move on to everyone else (including me). Why is materialism rampant today? How did this happen and why is it so inescapable?

Perhaps the birth of the television, an invention I so adore, sparked this wildfire; because with the TV came advertising and the exposure of viewers to products. And when you take a step back and look at the television industry today, you will realize that TV shows are created to appeal to a specific demographic so that products can be sold to them, and not the other way around. Materialism is deeply rooted in the entertainment industry, more than we sometimes like to admit.

So all this pressure we exert on ourselves to make more money -- what causes it? Money is a way a person may choose to gauge their success in life, similar to how a student's scholastic achievement is represented by grades. Higher salary = better life. We also think that more money means more possessions, or at least better ones, and the more things we own, the happier we are. Right?

At the epicentre then is the belief that money can buy you happiness. But psychology research departments have reported that maybe winning the lottery will make you happy in the short-term, but a few days/weeks/months down the road, you will feel the same as you did before. Moreover, studies have shown that spending on others will make you happier than spending on yourself. (Friends, take a look at note 14 on the last page of this paper. Recognize anyone?) So maybe that's why Brad Pitt is so happy -- he isn't just Angelina Jolie's lover, he's a philanthropist as well.

Money can give you a larger array of experiences, privileges, and cars than the average person. But wouldn't the average person be happy enough? Ah, we'll never be content with being average.

PS. The views expressed tonight are fickle and fleeting. Like philosophies, I cannot choose just one.
PPS. For an amazing book on objectivism and capitalism, please read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. It reminded me of Nietzsche in that it made me question some of the core values of Christianity.