Thermometer of America's Materialism

Over the last year I have bought more things than I can remember: taco bell, computer games, books, cd's, clothes, gifts, gas, pens, golf balls, etc... Still I desire more. I have more things than I could ever possibly need, most I will use or have used at some point but do I actually need them. Not at all. I was reading a book by Mike Yankoski: Under the Overpass. At the end of the book, and consequently end of 5 months being voluntarilary homeless, he tells of being in a store and simply wanting to buy as much as he could simply because he could. That was me, and most people I know. We buy because we can, not becasue we need to or should. Which brings us to the ipod, the thermometer of america's materialism.

I was thinking about music and ipods the other day when it occured to me that much of the purpose of having an ipod is not because one needs such a vast selection of music. Nor is it for necessity or even convenience. So often the purpose of having a 60gig ipod is for the goal of filling it. "If i can fill this 60gig ipod I will have accomplished something." Why is it that we feel the more we have the better we are, or the more we are worth? Why do we obsess about having more music, more clothes, more, more, more?

It seems that we must do soemthing about this thought process. There is no war that needs to be waged against materialism. Simply a radical change of lifestyle by Christians. Their questions and our answers will be enough.