We Are Living in a Material World, and I am a Material Girl.

I once heard on TV (my source for approximately 97 percent of my knowledge), that in Buddhist practice, one attempts to achieve total happiness by letting go of all material things (or something like that).  So in theory, there are all of these monks or otherwise religious Buddhists meditating and hanging out and living their lives, and these people are at a place of complete contentment-- with no stuff.  They have just what they need to live basically.  It doesn't bother them at all that they don't have stuff, because it isn't possible to be any happier.

I can't deal with this concept.  Full enlightenment and bliss sound really good.  On the one hand, I don't see how you can argue with it. On other other hand, I would rather be miserable half the time and have stuff.  Because I may be blissful living an ascetic life, but I would never feel the kind of bliss I feel when I buy a cool painting or bracelet or cell phone.  It's a feeling I'm not willing to give up.

I wonder why I derive so much pleasure from shopping, or at least the end result- getting stuff. Is it our society?  That may be part of it.  It certainly wasn't my super-saver upbringing.  I think it also has to do with just plain appreciating products for being pretty, or useful, or entertaining.  That's probably quite an American notion, because we've created so many products in America, and so many ways to create and distribute them.  Capitalism runs through our veins here, and we want stuff just like good little consumers should.  And I love it.  If you want to get by on less, that's fine by me.  But I'm going to keep my Nike's, my Levi's, my Ann Taylor, my Coach, and my princess cut engagement ring, and holler at you later.