Material Comforts vs. other important aspects of life (essay)

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In our pursuit of material comforts, we have ignored other important aspects of life. Is this true?

It is human instinct to seek comfort. It was such for our ancestors hundreds of years ago, and it is still the case for us in the present. The fact remains the same. Just that instead of seeking physical comfort such as shelter, we seek material comfort such as a nice big house and maybe even a car or two. People educate themselves so that they can get a high paying job which allows them to acquire the material desires of their hearts. With the advancement of society, competition for these high paying jobs is increasing and only the best will get the best. Thus, often in our pursuit of material comforts, we become so focused on earning a high income that we ignore other important aspects of life such as our family, our health and even the environment. Money may make the world go round, but money cannot after all, guarantee happiness. Thus, I agree to a large extent that we have collectively ignored various important aspects of life in our pursuit of material comfort.
                       
The increase in the cost of living has resulted in people seeking money to provide for themselves as well as their families. The responsibilities a working adult would primarily face would be to provide for their family’s needs and wants. 87% of working adults in Singapore work at least 9 hours to ensure that their families have ample food and are contented. Although it is tiring for providers to work for long hours, they persevere on as they would do anything for their loved ones. The ever-changing fashion trends must be kept up with. Moreover, buying the latest Apple product would buy them an affectionate hug and bring a smile to their teenage children. It is pleasant to see our loved ones happy, even if it means burning a hole in our pockets. They do not forget nor ignore the most important aspect of life- their families. With the satisfaction of their families in mind, they would feel the spur to pursue material comfort. However, in their pursuit for material comfort, parents have neglected their families as they are barely home. In Singapore, 72% of households have both parents working to provide for their family. Also, with most men being the breadwinner as well as more women pursuing their education and career, less time would be set aside for their children. This would then increase a child’s chances of going astray as guidance is important for a child’s development. Thus, although it may seem that we are not neglecting our families in our pursuit of material comforts, we actually are. Hence, I strongly agree that we have ignored other important aspects of life in our pursuit of material comfort.

Developing countries, in pursuit of money, make use of their natural resources to earn more revenue and improve their economic standing. In fact, Vietnam earned US$884 million in the first quarter of 2011 from the export of 1.85 tonnes of rice. However, as the country strives towards a better quality of life for its citizens, its natural environment has been severely damaged. In Kalimantan, Indonesia, forested areas have decreased greatly in size from 1900 to 2000. This is mainly due to the logging industry, which plays a significant role in Indonesia’s economic development. Rapid deforestation has resulted in many environmental problems: loss of biodiversity, air pollution, soil erosion and flooding. This shows that our environment has been neglected in our pursuit of material comforts.

People constantly seek degrees to rise in the ranks of education as having a higher level of education would increase the chances of a higher paying job. In order to achieve their degrees, many of them would sign up for the relevant courses and just study the relevant topics in the course without having any genuine interest in the subject. They do not bother to do further research for more details about content that may not be covered in the syllabus. This shows that we have lost the thirst for knowledge and would only study what is given to us.

Due to the higher standard of living and rising prices worldwide, more people find themselves putting material comforts as their priority and soon they get sucked into their own temptations and wants. Hence, they forgo religion and replace it with the pursuit of materialism. The absence of religion in part of our daily life means that there is a lack of moral education and also lack of a set of self-guiding principles which is an essential aspect to us living a fulfilling and motivating life.

Lastly,working long hours causes health problems. In Singapore, the rate of osteoporosis, particularly at the hips due to office work for long hours, has already surged five-fold among women and 1.5 times among men. This shows how poorly people regard health. Hence, with people being too focused on getting the worldly pleasures in life, they ignore the more important aspect of taking care of their health.,

In conclusion, I feel that we have ignored other important aspects of life such as our family and friends, our health, the well being of the environment, even our religions, in our pursuit of material comforts. Besides neglecting the important aspects of life, we also lose our thirst for knowledge and education becomes nothing more than just a stepping stone to our success in the workforce, which gives us access to the material satisfaction that we desire. Moreover, we may have the money to view the wonders of the world and to travel to various countries to explore and experience the rich and diverse cultures, but we may end up with no time to do so due to our busy work schedules. I believe that we should strike a balance between the material and other aspects of our lives. Only then will we be able to live a fulfilling life.