Oct 12 2008
Saying Goodbye to Materialism
If one thing has come out of the current situation is that Materialism is not conducive with the goal that one should have in life. That goal is that we should live our lives in accordance with God’s Natural Law based on the teachings of Our Lord.
The greed of Materialism, along with its cohorts Relativism and Liberalism, has all but destroyed today’s society. We must look long and hard on how we live our lives and make changes that will not only bring us closer to God, but also hopefully help mend society.
Although I have not been caught up as much as some in the cult of Materialism, I still am guilty of participating in it and I do not like it. In the next couple of months, I will personally be looking at how I live my life and make changes that will not only wean me further away from many of the trappings of Materialism but also, hopefully, bring me closer to God. Some of the things I am looking at:
- Look at what I have and get rid of anything I absolutely do not need.
- Not eating out as often and, when I do, stay away from the more expensive restaurants (which I only eat at once or twice a month as it is). This includes taking my lunch to work instead of eating at the Cafe that is in the building where I work.
- Taking less expensive vacations and even not going anywhere or doing personal retreats when I take time off.
- I was looking at buying a new car in the next year or so, but I will look at keeping my 7+ year old compact a little longer and, if I need to get a car, look at use cars first.
- Instead of going to the mall, bookstore, etc., spend time in prayer (including Eucharistic Adoration), going to Mass, and/or spending time at home reading.
I know, some of this look like I am cutting back due to the economy. However, I have been debating a lot of his for quite awhile. In addition, the above list is not, by all means complete. There are some things I have probably forgotten and more things I will think of.
The goal is to make Materialism a thing of the past and God the most important thing in my life.
One Response to “Saying Goodbye to Materialism”
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# Felixon 13 Oct 2008 at 8:20 pm
It does look a bit difficult. But, hopefully, you’ll be able to do at least some if not all the stuff on your list. Materialism only makes people more miserable. As St. Paul said in Sunday’s readings (Philippians 4), he learned to be content with whatever he already had. With materialism you’re never content with what you have. You always want more and more, and are never satisfied.
