Think money is all? Think again!

Dr Douglas Lawton, Contributor

Idolatry is rampant globally. The god of materialism is revered. Growing access to the Internet has increased opportunities for the god of materialism to invade and dominate cultures everywhere. In our consumer-driven and materialistic culture, the supreme value is affluence. Accordingly, people are valued by society based on their net worth. The more a person is valued, the greater their influence, the more they are respected, the better they are treated, and more opportunities given.

To be valued highly is to be in a place of power and privilege, hence the rat race. In order to achieve greater significance and increase their net worth, those who have much constantly seek more. Those who have little con-stantly spend what they do not have in order to gain recognition as a person of worth, hence the bling lifestyle among the poor. Status symbols are used to shore up self-worth and to gain respect. The cycle is repeated in successive gene-rations, although persistent poverty may be escaped through education. But escaping poverty is not transformational enough.

Wealth does not answer the most relevant questions of life. Obsession with wealth is an aberration in the quest for significance and meaning. Where significance and meaning is concerned, one needs to consult with God. A person may be rich and still be poor; one may be full and still be empty. There is a void in the heart of every human being that only God can fill. When connected to God in a personal way, whether rich or poor, you can still have a sense of significance and find meaning, hope, joy and peace.

Attaching a person's significance to wealth is not only unjust; it is unwise and risky. Besides esteem and relational issues, an unhealthy approach to wealth can be a cause of suicide. In recent times, several persons have committed suicide due to the worldwide financial meltdown and corresponding loss of personal wealth. When a person commits suicide because he loses his wealth, wealth is larger than life and the chief motivation for living. The situation becomes more grave because of the loss of self-respect and the respect of significant others in society, and the loss of 'friends' and 'family' that go with it. Financial distress is a major cause of divorce worldwide. Without God, feelings of abandonment and hopelessness emerge.

Valuing people

That said, the issue of valuing people based on affluence is more serious than poverty and has wider implications for life in general. When all is said and done, I suppose the real question is: how may one find significance and meaning in a materialistic world without committing idolatry? If human beings determine values, then we have a real problem. Human nature is intrinsically warped and values differ from one culture to another, hence, ill health in society. Ill heath in society is a reflection of unheal-thy values in society.

Nothing contri-butes more to divisiveness and violence in society than attitudes toward wealth. Although some would argue that it is love for money and greed which drive the economy, love for money is a route to all manner of evil. A healthy respect for wealth is therefore needed. A healthy respect for wealth should include: recognising wealth as a means and not an end in itself, ceasing to ascribe relative value to people who possess wealth and ceasing to devalue the poor for not having it.

At the end of the day, each person needs to seriously ask, 'What am I living for?' Whatever you are living for is your god, including wealth.

Dr Douglas Lawton is a counselling psychologist, writer and publisher. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com