Category Archives: Materialism

Rampant consumerism – our year-round affliction

Posted on February 22, 2018 by vincentsmithauthor

Many of us would agree with psychologist Patricia Dalton, who says that rampant consumerism, once confined to the holidays, has become a year-round affliction. She observes unhappy people trying to fill the emptiness of their lives by irresponsible spending and … Continue reading →

Posted in Abundant life, consumerism, Contentment, emptiness, Materialism, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

I doesn’t matter

Posted on November 30, 2017 by vincentsmithauthor

Some years ago the Readers Digest reported the case of Angie and David whose house burned down. Angie’s first act was to hunt through the blackened ruins searching for any photo albums that had survived. She managed to find some … Continue reading →

Posted in Life's lessons, love, Materialism, Meaning in life, Trials and testings, tribulation and trouble, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Moments of euphoric forgetfulness

Posted on November 9, 2016 by vincentsmithauthor

Robert Franks, author of the best seller Luxury Fever: Why Money Fails to Satisfy in an Era of Excess, claims that what we sometimes call ‘retail therapy’ doesn’t work. Decades of rapidly increasing affluence and the ‘shop til you drop’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Happiness, Materialism, Selfishness, Unselfishness | Leave a comment

Is money really life’s report card?

Posted on April 29, 2016 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s a saying that goes: ‘money is life’s report card,’ meaning success in life is in proportion to how much we earn, accrue and spend. Yet the universal experience is what John D Rockerfeller said when asked how much you … Continue reading →

Posted in Abundant life, Life, Life's journey, Life's lessons, Living Life, Materialism, Money, Success, wealth | 3 Comments

Happiness is like a butterfly.

Posted on April 29, 2016 by vincentsmithauthor

Happiness is all about keeping things in balance. The Bible says: ‘Give me neither poverty nor riches, just give me as much as I need.’ It’s realizing when enough is enough. Anything more is great if you receive it, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Abundant life, Happiness, Materialism, Meaning in life, Meaninglessness, Money, wealth | Leave a comment

Seeing things in their true perspective

Posted on December 20, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

In the wake of the Global Economic Crisis, USA Today ran an article entitled Bubble burst: Views on sour economy. It reported that nearly half of the people surveyed believed the recession was a payback for society’s overindulging, and that … Continue reading →

Posted in Abundant life, Materialism, Meaninglessness, Treasure in Heaven | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Acedia, an aversion to spiritual things

Posted on June 6, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

William Bennet, speaking at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, said: ‘There is a coarseness and a cynicism to our era…The ancients called it acedia, an aversion to spiritual things and an undue concern for the external and the worldly… I … Continue reading →

Posted in Bigotry, Cynicism, Materialism, Speaking the truth, Spiritual blindness, Spiritual Darkness | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Breaking with the law of the playground

Posted on January 4, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

British style writer Neil Boorman, a few years ago, caused a stir when he decided to burn all his brand-name possessions. “I am addicted to brands,” he confessed in a magazine article: “From an early age, I have been taught … Continue reading →

Posted in emptiness, Faith, God in us, God's faithfulness, Life, Life's journey, Living Life, Living simply, Materialism, satisfaction | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Give me back my songs

Posted on September 11, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The French have a story about a wealthy man who spent his days counting his gold. Next door was a poor cobbler who spent his days singing as he repaired shoes. The joyful singing irritated the rich man, so he … Continue reading →

Posted in Joy, Life, Life's journey, Materialism, Misery, Money, Music of life, Possessions, Sleeplessness, wealth, Worry | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment