Welcome to Steemit! Where money talks. Your voice is worth something. Join the community that pays you to post and "curate" high "quality" content. That's what users first see when they come across this platform. The terms that reference money are emphasized and the terms in quotations are things the platform really doesn't do even though they would pretend like it does. Let's be honest, it's all about the money, isn't it?
The Consumer-Advertiser-Investor View Of The World
First off, I would like to say there is nothing wrong with money. It has instrumental value. Even that paper stuff that depreciates over time. If you value the human experience and money unlocks the doors to whatever experience you want to pursue, go for it. What bothers me is the clear neglect towards society and communities that money-centric people exhibit.
Money-centrism: The idea that life revolves around the pursuit of money.
The problem with money-centrism is that it damages the relationships between you and other people and drives society into a competitive rat-race where the winners are the ones raking in the cash and the losers are the ones working for or begging to the winners.
The current state of society revolves around money as the provider of happiness when it really isn't. People then use this to justify their money-centric actions and find it okay to throw people under the bus if it means realizing your dreams. But the thing is that you don't need money to realize dreams or happiness. And if you do, I hate to tell you, but maybe those dreams are shallow and materialistic.
Too many people work their asses off just to get a paycheck that they burn through trying to make their life worth living. Thus, their world revolves around money. Money becomes an item of grand importance. Money makes the choices in your life rather than you. This cycle of working is made even worse given the consumer culture.
Nobody is telling you that you need to buy this shit. You don't need a big house, or multiple televisions, or the newest i-Phone. My 5 year old smartphone works just fine and does not require an invasion of privacy in order to unlock it with my stupid face. Given the power of the internet and certain applications, televisions are purely for the maximization of aesthetic feels.
But the consumer-dominated money-centrist buys these things in order to give them a temporary bout of happiness. Purchasing luxury goods is no longer a luxury--it is a necessity, a drug to relieve the miserable worker of their depression. A depression that grows stronger day by day as people begin drifting away from their social roots and isolating themselves in their property.
The money-centrist is also focused on the present rather than the future. They seek short-term ROI rather than long-term potential. This is because they need to fulfill those dopamine cravings. Given that the greatest rush of happiness comes from buying goods, these people look for the short-term gains in order to cash out and fulfill their cravings.
They believe they can indeed maximize their ROI and buy their problems away from the profits. But this simply is not the case. I won't claim I know the secrets to human happiness, but living in such a cycle seems pretty depressing and pretty bleak and hopeless. In order to escape the cycle, one has to engage in a paradigm shift and focus their time less on money and hedonism and more on the root causes of their problems.
Planning and long-term preparation help to achieve these goals and having patience is important when dealing with the cravings that arise from a society addicted to consumerism. Only mediocrity arises from living in a miserable cycle and nobody should want to live a mediocre life.
But maybe I'm wrong and just jealous of the successful money-centrists. I simply want their money to live my own lavish lifestyle and buy mansions and ride away in the sunset in one of my seven lambos. And there are times I think that would be cool.
But at the same time, materialism and owning shit has always felt kind of empty to me. I really never have cared for new pieces of furniture, a fancy house, or an extravagant life. Most people think I'm cheap.
I just want to be free of the consumerist cycle and enjoy my remaining time chasing experiences and spending quality time with friends and family. I've always fond of those moments when I reflect on the past. I frankly don't care about the stuff I gotten or the money I've earned unless those things have granted me opportunities to experiences.
So, I'm not a money-centrist. I want to escape money-centrism. Money-centrism makes me depressed. The fact that I have to think about money so much bothers me. So, I hope that one day, society will shed its materialistic ways and endeavor in finding ways to escape the cycle of the money-centrist. But that day is not tomorrow. So I patiently wait, watch, and observe society changing. Not always for the best.
Bonus Content:
Some food for thought:
Discussion Questions:
(100% SBD) When you're rich, want type of car are you going to be riding in?
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Animation - Steve Cutts