Posted on December 9, 2007 - by Lance Ong

Looking Beyond Materialism

Welcome back!

Once I had someone ask me whether there was any greater meaning in this world beyond just making money and living in luxury. She said it seemed the whole culture was just obsessed with becoming rich; nobody seemed to care what we were here for, or whether there was any meaning in this existence.

Here is a little event that set me thinking: While I was in Borders bookstore, an old man sat down beside me and began to talk.

He had kind eyes; a very dignified old man. Looking at him, I recognized a friend, even though we had never met. Norman shared with me some of his life experiences and I began to understand how a man of his age might view the world. Then I asked…

“Norman, do you think that at your age, you have achieved your purpose in life?”

“Well,” he replies. “My life is in God’s hands… I go where he takes me. But I can tell you this: The world today is too materialistic… no good… no good at all.”

Then he goes silent, as if in some sort of deep thought. His words echo in my mind. This, from someone who had lived seven decades more than I. So it really made me wonder what we should value in life and where we should channel our energies.

Out of the entire world’s population, most of us will never live the high life. That is reserved for the top 1% of rich and wealthy – about 60 million people. Let’s not forget that the world has approximately 6 billion people, so there are another 5.9 billion who form our middle and lower class.

Economists have discovered a problem: The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, creating greater disparity between the haves and have-nots. World Bank reports show that many people do not have enough money to ensure a comfortable retirement, and that there is not enough funds stored in pension plans to cater for the aging baby-boomers.

In China, social trends like an aging population, longer lifespan, and the one-child policy, predict disaster: Soon China will have less and less adults supporting an overwhelming number of elders.

Everyone will be clamoring to earn as much as they can to pay for hospitals, day care, medication, treatments, and such. The population is desperate to build wealth. On one hand, they want to live the good life; on the other, their financial responsibilities are heavy, so they are denied the ideal lifestyle.

This trend exists not only in China, but in many first world countries with aging populations. So perhaps now it makes sense why everyone is obsessed with becoming rich.

So it looks like most of us will never get to see the yacht and mansion lifestyle of the rich and famous. However, I have an alternative view of life. When you look through the world through this point of view, you can forgive yourself for not making enough money. You can earn your money in a relaxed manner, which allows you to enjoy your life before it is over.

The view is like this: Like suckling infants, we expect Mother Earth to make us content; we expect God to fulfill our needs; we expect the world to be as we want it. When we awaken to the harsh reality of ‘earning a living’ and ‘working to survive’, then we see money as our only buffer against the pain of poverty – the key to having all that we want, the way to the luxuries and experiences which will bring us joy and contentment.

Without enough money, it feels like we are being denied all the nourishment and joy which was promised. So we enter the rat race, studying for 16 years then rushing out to the working world where we spend another 40 years climbing the corporate ladder, while raising a family at the same time.

The fundamental problem comes from doing things for the wrong reasons. Most people do not understand their inner desires. That which drives us to do what we do, is mostly animal instinct. The instinct to procreate, the drive to earn as much as we can – for example: to prove I’m a capable man worthy of procreating with. “Look, I can protect the children. Look, I can bring home the bacon. Look, I’m a sexy guy – I work out – good in bed!”

So with this survival, mating, or animal instinct creating desire within us, we tell ourselves, “I must be rich! I must be good-looking! I must be better then them!” And all these ‘musts’ cause us much frustration, especially when we do not have deeper reasons for why we ‘must be’ something.

I do not mean that we should give up trying to self-actualize or become who we are meant to be… what I mean is that we should do it for the soulful reasons. Go beyond your survival and mating instinct and find deeper meaning for doing what you do.

If you want to become rich, do it not just for the opposite sex or because you love luxury, do it because you want to invent something new; for the security of your family, or because you want to experience the world and money is the ticket.

Know your reasons because they are the driving force of your achievements. If you do things just out of sex or pleasure drive, you might run out of steam because as you get older, mating loses its appeal.

In the material world, everything is death-bound, meaning that it will come to an end. Stars like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis died at the peak of their careers. They had everything – money, good looks, great career, fantastic house, boyfriends, and girlfriends – but in the end, it is all death-bound.

If you want true inner peace, then practice non-attachment. Realize that there is nothing you really have to do in this lifetime, only that which you want to. All the material objects and desires we chase are illusions which keep you trapped in a never-ending struggle and pursuit for more.

If you can understand that material luxuries and pleasures are all just on loan to you in this lifetime, then you can approach life in a different way. No longer will you sacrifice your life to chase the almighty dollar, but stop and consider what is your purpose and mission on Earth.

For if everyone that’s born on this planet just needs to earn enough money and hump each other’s brains out, then that would be a mundane existence indeed. There is something special for you to do in this world. But it is not for me to tell… even if I tried, I can only suggest what it might be.

So to answer the question set out at the beginning: There is nothing wrong with wanting to make money, it is necessary for survival. However, it is important to look at what you’re contributing your life towards. When you are old, like Norman, can you look back on all you have done and appreciate the contribution you have made? Beyond just making money and raising a family, can you say, “I have achieved my life’s purpose”?

In a conversation with a friend, he asked a good question. He asked, “What constitutes a life purpose?” I said, “Contribution – something you give to society or the world. Something you love. Something you are willing to suffer for. Something you will do even if no one pays you.”