Humans have owned material things ever since our ancestors started using tools. This is because tools increase our ability to do things. And material things, at least the useful ones, are tools. For example, a winter coat is a tool for keeping warm in cold weather. But a tool is only helpful if you use it to do something. This means that a material thing is a means to an end and not an end in itself.
But some people see material things as more important than their use. They believe that material things are not the means, but the ends in themselves. This belief, called materialism, gets things backward. It has many disadvantages, and we will look at some of those disadvantages. So, here are the disadvantages of materialism.
Materialism focuses on the tools.
Every useful possession is a tool for improving some experience. For example, a car is a tool for improving the experience of travel on the ground. The car improves the experience by making it quicker and easier than walking. If it didn’t, then there is no good reason to have that car. So if you can’t use possessions to improve an experience, then they are useless.
Materialism treats possessions as being more important than experiences. This is like saying that the tool is more important than the task. This misplaced priority can lead to many problems. For starters, it can lead to getting useless things for the sake of getting them. It can also lead to the willingness to use people and cherish objects.
Materialism can deprive you of money.
Giving first priority to material possessions often leads to overconsumption. This excessive buying can drain bank accounts in a hurry. What’s worse is that it can leave the materialist with large amounts of debt. The problem with debt is that the more you have, the harder it is to get rid of.
Materialism can deprive you of time.
Materialism can deprive you of time in many ways. First, there is the time wasted shopping for things you don’t need. There is also the time you spend maintaining the things you bought. You also spend time earning the money that you use to buy things. And if you get into debt, you will need to work extra time to pay it off. Of course, that’s if you can pay it off.
Materialism can take away your freedom.
Many people work long hours at jobs that they hate. This is also the case with people who have high-paying jobs. It’s because they cannot afford to work fewer hours. Also, quitting their jobs is out of the question. This happens because overconsumption leads to high bills. Even many in the middle class are only 2 paychecks away from being homeless. The point is that materialism can lead to economic slavery.
Materialism can ruin your living space.
Clutter is the scourge of home interiors. It has ruined many a home decor. It’s because every room has a finite amount of space. If you cram too many things in it, you will run out of space. When this happens, clutter will pile up on horizontal surfaces. Buying too many things can cause this. In fact, it is a quick way to convert money into clutter. This is a classic case of materialism ruining your living space.
Materialism can stop you from doing fun things.
Many people don’t have either the time or the money for recreation. The closest that they come, is to watch people on TV. It is a sad situation when people have expensive cars that they cannot drive anywhere. This is one example of how materialism can stop people from having fun. A smaller home and a cheaper car would have allowed them to do more of what they love.
Materialism can hurt your relationships.
A good philosophy is to love people and use things. But materialism is about loving things and using people. This breeds distrust. After all, wise people would steer clear of someone who thinks like this. As you would expect, materialists have trouble building close relationships.
Materialism can damage your self-image.
Advertisements flood the media that we look at and listen to. Many of them appeal to people’s insecurities. They insinuate that the lack of their product causes the “flaws” that you have. The messages in these ads are subtle but very powerful. But someone who values experiences over things can ignore them.
This is not the case for someone who ties people’s worth to their possessions. Not having the advertised product degrades a materialist’s self-image. It is even worse if the materialist cannot afford it. Materialism can cause insecurity in that way.
Materialism reduces contentment.
When someone gets material things for the sake of doing so, it becomes hard to set limits. It becomes easy to believe that more is always better. Also, the thrill of getting a new possession never lasts. The result is that a materialist will never have enough to feel content. Merchants encourage and profit from the lack of contentment caused by materialism.
Materialism feeds envy.
Valuing material possessions over experiences affects how you view people. It becomes easy to judge a person’s worth by what the person owns. This makes it easy to feel insecure and resentful if someone has something that you don’t. Resenting others for having their rightful possessions is the definition of envy. To make matters worse, there will always be someone who has something that you don’t.
Materialism can degrade your character.
If you value material things above all else, it becomes easy to sacrifice your values for them. If you do, then you lose a part of your character that you like. If you do it enough times, you can become the type of person you dislike. This is how materialism has destroyed the character of many people.
In summary, humans have always used material things as tools. In this case, each material thing is a means to an end. But some people get it backward and see the material things as ends in themselves. This belief, called materialism, causes the person to focus on the wrong things. This belief can deprive you of space, time, and money. It can strip you of freedom and prevent you from doing the things you love. It can damage your self-image and hurt your relationships. It also feeds envy and can turn you into the type of person you dislike. So, you should avoid giving in to materialism.