Excessive Materialism - Essay Example

"The foundation of America was built on the idea of being a land with endless opportunity. That opportunity was not only freedom to oneself, but also the opportunity to gain much wealth." (Jackson, n.d., para. 1). Each citizen's prosperity was a reward for their hard work and diligence (Wikipedia, The American Dream, n.d., para. 1). However, the American Dream has been dramatically redefined to reflect the excessive materialism that is representative of the crumbling moral and social core of today's world.

The new American Dream, fueled by excessive materialism, has brought new and detrimental values to a society that has already gone astray. In addition, the American Dream as it exists today is more and more difficult to attain, because it is built on unrealistic ideals. As people work harder and harder to consume more and more, their lives are out of balance. In the quest for wealth as measured by purchases and materials items, their quality of life diminishes with the loss of family and personal time.

Excessive materialism, in trampling our esteemed and treasured American identity, threatens our individual well being, collective justice and ecological balance today and in the future. is consumed by consumers of expensive coffee, name brand clothing, chic cars, trendy hair cuts, cell phones, laptops, and portable video games. A large portion of people are talking on a cell phone and a larger portion of people look stressed out. The biggest and most obvious difference to me is how the children dress, talk, behave and play compared to even when I was young.

In absorbing my surroundings, I realized that excessive materialism has become an accepted value in our society. The concept of materialism can be traced back in biblical history and literature. Mammon is used in the New Testament to describe materials wealth or greed and to personify a false god (Wikipedia, Mammon, n.d.). Webster defines 'Mammon' as 1) the false god of riches and avarice and 2) riches regarded as an object of worship and greedy pursuit; wealth as an evil, more or less personified (Websters, 1977).

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other.