Is It Important for Children to Have a Game Life - Literature review Example

Game Life in Children It is very human for each one of us to develop an obsession for the luxurious things that life has to offer. This could be in terms of: new clothing, electronics and expensive homes, among others. This kind of obsession not only applies to the luxurious needs, but competition amongst our friends who are in the same field of study or businesses as us. One would desire to have more than the other and this is where the more factor comes in. Human beings are always in unending competition with their friends or other people due to the need to be the only man standing. As per Shames’ reading on The More Factor, the American mind is filled with economy and ways to make it even better, as well as life full of speculation on what they feel should be happening around. Unfortunately for Americans, there has always been this desire to have more and more and this has always served as a motivating factor to them; something that makes the other nations regard them as superior. Having our children, therefore, believe that material things and hard work to have even more is what life is all about; can really impact negatively on their morals as well as the way they relate with other people. From Shame’s reading, it is clear that he makes a connection between the frontier ideas of Americans and what we really know about them. This is because of his understanding of how they regard the economy so highly, that it actually is the only thing they think about. Shames states for example: “Economics has become our main focus on which we pin our hopes of open space and second chances”. According to my understanding, Shames is trying to show us how Americans have really devoted their minds on the economy and everything else is to follow, and what they can think of is success and being able to come up with new opportunities for them to keep growing their wealth to their desired direction. All these people want is more and more, and will do anything to make sure that their success does not reach an end; being that their minds have been flooded with the idea that their state is full of fertility that can never end. America has been regarded as a state that has overflowing opportunities, and their attitude is what keeps them growing; as they always have opportunity, growth and expanse in their minds before being set to do a thing. If one develops the same attitude that they are the best and no one else, they will automatically be ahead of everybody in everything they lay their hands on. It is the thought of other continents and people about them that creates in their mind the fact that they are full of riches, and live a luxurious life therefore. The main focus of Americans therefore becomes making money, an idea that makes them forget about any other things that life has to offer. This has made the American society full of desire for material things, as well as a materialistic attachment to life; which in the end makes our people forget about the societal values. I for instance have an aunt who all his life has been engulfed in making more money, and to date has not had an opportunity to get married; and is therefore all alone in her own expensive home that is full of riches. The enormous need and consumerism has had her forget all about getting married and having kids, something the society frowns upon; and instead decided to be lonely, yet rich, in such an old age. It is the loneliness that has made her discover that actually life is not all about money and no real happiness is in it, and that makes her very regretful. It is at this time that she now is thinking of making new friends and getting back to her family so that she at least can have some company and fill the void that she just started realizing exists. It has been quite difficult for her to recover the lost love and affection from family and friends, and this has made her life really miserable. This actually is a lesson to every other person that their mind has been pre-occupied with success in life through making more money, and being ahead of others; so that they can be worshipped. Indeed, life is not all about money. The concept of “more” presented by Shames is not really something to be frowned upon, as everybody actually has their own set goals and always look in the direction of success in their lives. Having said that though, it is important to note that everything we do should be in moderation and that we ought to already be having a plan to stop at some point and enjoy the pleasures that life has to offer. It is true that everyone, I included, wants to live a life that is full of pleasures, a life you don’t have to borrow money from a friend or take a loan to have a taste of. We all wish to have everything we as kids used to admire other people in possession of and be able to visit places we have never been, but just see on television. This desire to have more however should not go an extent that there exists some competition with our friends or make us belittle others, simply because we feel they do not belong to the same social standard as we do. At the beginning of Shames’ work for example, he points to us that, “whoever dies with the most toys wins” This creates in the mind of the reader that the society that we live in today cares all about money and riches, which should not be the case. We care most on how superior one is than the other as far as riches are concerned, and this makes our people forget about the real and true meaning of life; which is to have the desirable behavior and be happy morally. These riches acquired by most of us are not even put in good use, but instead squandered on luxuries while there are other members of our society who live under very poor conditions. As parents, we often forget all about teaching our children on how to live morally upright lives; but instead force into their heads that making more money is the key goal in life. Children in this case live knowing that life is all about what one has in terms of wealth as opposed to morals and the society’s expectations. They forget about what real happiness in life is, and how to peacefully live with the others in the society. Through this reading, it is quite important to note that we ought to make ourselves financially comfortable in life, but ignore the poor idea of having economic stability as our only desire in life; and instead work on ways to be morally upright for us to be acceptable members of the society[CITATION Maa12 \l 1033 ]. It is possible that some of us get to down our tools, as far as economic establishment is concerned, because we are emphasizing on good morals; this should not be the case, as we are saying that everything we do ought to have limits and search for wealth should not make us blind enough not to think of our own happiness. According to paragraph 4, page 92 of the book Shames tells us of how deep the more factor is in the American society. With the always enlarging chances to place one at the most coveted level of success in the society, Americans have not stopped wanting more[ CITATION Lau89 \l 1033 ]. They seem to be blinded to the extent that they have forgotten all about morals, as well as what the society expects of them. It is in this state that the more you have, the better; as opposed to the meaningful things in life that are important to the young minds that are in need of good advice to shape their future to the right direction. They seem to have forgotten that wealth or material things are cosmetic and in the sudden turn of events, all that had been created can end up being lost. This desire to have more has strangled the minds of our people and had them ever dissatisfied with what they have, and kept them on the run for more and more. Having the unending materialistic things in life is what they consider more satisfying than any other thing. There is this obsession in progressing, and materialistic things are what they look at in this case. It therefore should be remembered that life is not all about competition and living a luxurious life, and even if there has to be the luxury then it has to be limited. There has to reach a point where the other human needs like marriage and family are to be taken into consideration. It is this unending desire to acquire more and more wealth that gets people belittling others and feeling they have to be far much ahead of them, for the feeling of being worshipped to exist. Materialistic life is good, but let it be moderated and societal moral values, expectations be taken into consideration. “Whoever dies with the most toys wins”. Life in this day and age has become about who owns how much as opposed to the quality of life we live. Everyone in the society is on the run to have more than their friends, so that their ‘dignity’ can be upheld; and the sad thing about it is that we even go as far getting ourselves deep in debt for us to have a face among our friends. An American would rather have a very expensive car with them than have their friends or people around with such while they have none. As a state they are more focused on more riches than even what transpires around them. Everybody would love to be at the top all the time and be the one to have a say among friends, or better still be the one referred to in case a decision has to be made. It is also the greed we have for material things that places us in that awkward situation where we have to buy everything we see on commercials, not because we do not have cars but want more and the latest in the market. Once these things are piled up and we do not have the generosity that would have been inculcated in us through learning of moral values, we end up throwing away some of these luxuries we wasted money on; that would otherwise have assisted the poor in our society. That is why I am emphasizing on being wealthy and at the same time having good morals that will guide us in our daily lives, so that we live peacefully with the others and be useful members of our societies. Comfortable life is worth living and everyone seems to be moving towards that direction; however, that is not to be the case as we in the end fall for miseries in life after we have acquired all the wealth and there is no happiness. As human beings therefore, we should have our focus pointing in both the materialistic life and that which the society values and morals require of us. My being against the more factor is not that it is a bad idea, but let us just do it with moderation and teach our children that life is not all about money; for money can never buy one happiness. Americans, through the reading on ‘more factor’ have proven to be economists and only having worries concerning how to make more money and become better than the others. It is clear how this issue has impacted on the moral life of most individuals in the state, for having forgotten that life is not all about money. This need to have more is observable in the people around us, and it is not a thing we can run away from. Man has always wanted to live a comfortable life and this is where the more factor sets in. It has not however been possible to find out whether those filthy rich people in the society; brought up in an environment where they did not receive education on good morals and how to live with one another; are stingy and look down upon the rest that are less privileged. Works Cited CITATION Maa12 \l 1033 : , (Maasik and Sonia), CITATION Lau89 \l 1033 : , (Laurence), Read More