Materialism: a system that eats us from the inside out

Materialism: a system that eats us from the inside out(theguardian.com)

17 points by germainemalcolm 12 years ago | 5 comments

nugget 12 years ago |

I would love an apartment in a nice part of town with a decent view, a guest bedroom and maybe a den/home office. Does this make me materialistic? Because compared to housing, everything else is really inexpensive.

joshguthrie 12 years ago | |

Believe it or not, becoming "homeless" and couchsurfing friend's flats for some time() can be a way to retake some freedom in your life. Not having a key anymore in my pockets really felt like something new after having my own place for close to seven years.

"Some time" depending on your own needs and life rythmn, of course.

charlieflowers 12 years ago |

I agree with much that the article says. However, it seems awfully subjective ... more like one person's rant on their own private blog than a news article.

droopyEyelids 12 years ago | |

And more than that, the extreme nature of the rant seems like sour grapes or jealousy to me.

Decadence, by definition, involves a decline but the author takes it to such a melodramatic level that a kid can not enjoy wealth without being completely broken inside.

agrostis 12 years ago |

Btw., am I the only one to think it rather knavish that the word “materialism” which originally signified a school of thought emphasizing the physicality of the world and all things in it (think Democritus, Indian Lokayatics, de la Mettrie, Feuerbach) came to be used in the sense of “pursuit of property”?