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Character: New Mindset On Money And Materialism -By Richard Odusanya
According to Tim Kasser, an American psychologist and book author known for his work on materialism and well-being. Kasser had famously said: “To be materialistic means to have values that put a relatively high priority on making a lot of money and having many possessions, as well as on image and popularity, which are almost always expressed via money and possessions.”
Your character defines who you are, your words define your wisdom and how you treat others defines the real you. Character is not your personality; we don’t hold someone responsible for the personality traits given them at birth. Character is something we can choose to build — habits formed over time. Good habits form good character. And your character is your destiny. Therefore, character can be defined as a collection of personality traits within our behavior that shows who we are. This is seen in our integrity, attitudes, moral. As such whenever we choose to respond to a situation in God’s way instead of following our natural direction, we develop good character.
Interestingly, the phrase “money is the root of all evil” is found in 1 Timothy 6:6-12. However, some people argued that it’s not directly taken from the Scriptures. They opined that, it’s actually a mis-quotation that drives a lot of people into unscriptural, scarcity-based thinking. Scripture says that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and understanding the full meaning of these words impacts us in more ways than our finances. True wealth depends on your money mindset. Money can be a source of stress, fear, and limitation. Or it can be a beautiful tool to solve problems, live generously, and change the world. Don’t get me wrong. The numbers in your bank account do matter — but they’re not the whole story.
Similarly, philosophers distinguished two forms of central-state materialism, namely, the translation form and the disappearance form. The translation form is the view that materialistic discourse can be translated into discourse that is neutral between physicalism and dualism, so that the truth of a person’s introspective reports is compatible with the objects of these reports being physical processes. Success materialism (wealth and material possessions are a sign of success in life) positively influences life satisfaction by boosting a person’s economic motivation. This can lead to a rise in their future satisfaction with their standard of living, which positively influences overall life satisfaction.
According to Tim Kasser, an American psychologist and book author known for his work on materialism and well-being. Kasser had famously said: “To be materialistic means to have values that put a relatively high priority on making a lot of money and having many possessions, as well as on image and popularity, which are almost always expressed via money and possessions.” I think materialism is viewed in a negative light because people may have had unpleasant experiences with materialistic people – as such our money making efforts must be laid on the foundation of a higher purpose and driven by the pursuit of that purpose.
From my personal observation and experience, people who prioritise “things” are inherently selfish. The stereotype is that of highly materialistic people, living in a different world, where their priority is cash, possessions and status. materialism tends to be associated with treating others in more competitive, manipulative and selfish ways, as well as being less empathetic. Such behavior is usually not appreciated by the average person, although it is encouraged by some aspects of our capitalist economic system. This is where we got it wrong completely as a people and the society is completely ruined. We can only hope for a decent society if we change from our ways and thoughts patterns.
Flowing from the foregoing, based on class and a highly materialistic society like ours, there exist false notions of superiority based of class, profession, caste and religion etc. However, despite these distinctions there is no “superiority” and it is just a part of egoism. Instructively, It validates the position of Ernest Hemingway, he had said: “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self” being superior to oneself – as in being better than were you were yesterday makes you a truly superior person. Hence the need for the much talked about “Mind Restructuring”
Conclusively, I like to encourage Nigerians to take full responsibility for where we find ourselves as a nation and kickstart the process of reorientation. It isn’t sloganeering and religiousity that makes a country great. It is a well cultured and decent society that espoused greatness. This is the way to go, we need to come together and rebuild our beloved country Nigeria. Finally, to our leaders, particularly the faith-based organizations, this is the right time for a new sets of messages centered on nation-building devoid of personal aggrandizement. This is a clarion call and a call to duty. Nigeria will be great again, the “Sleeping giant” will rise again.
Richard Odusanya
odusanyagold@gmail.com
