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I have nothing against money or riches but, rather, against the love of money and the determination to be rich that I see in many individuals.
What happens when people live for riches and the things that money can buy? Consider first the effect on their children.
Worldwide children spend time on television thousands of hours.
Add to these the video games, sophisticated music players, computer programs, and name-brand clothing that children see in stores and in the homes of their friends, and then try to imagine the barrage of requests parents face as a result.
Some parents have pandered to their children's every wish.
Why? Having been denied material luxuries when they were young, some parents are eager to make sure that their children do not grow up feeling deprived.
Still other parents are afraid that if they say no, their children will stop loving them.
"They want to be their kids' best friend and make sure they're having fun," say specialists.
Other parents hope that an abundance of gifts will compensate for their spending a great deal of time at their job, away from their children.
Then, too, after a long week of stressful work, a parent may simply not feel up to the conflict that inevitably follows the answer "No, you can't have it.
" But are parents who give their children everything they want helping them or hurting them? Ironically, experience is showing spoiled children tend to be ungrateful.
They don't even appreciate the gifts that they begged for so desperately.
In my experience when children have their items demands met immediately, they result often is that they discard them after two weeks.
What happens to spoiled children when they grow up? Studies show that they become adults who "have difficulty coping with life's disappointments.
" Never having learned to work hard for what they get, a number of them fail at school, at work, and in marriage, thereafter remaining financially dependent on their parents.
They may also be prone to anxiety and depression.
So, spoiled children are deprived after all.
They are denied appreciation for the value of work, a sense of self-worth, and the ability to feel rich on the inside.
Therapists say: "By teaching children that they can have what they want when they want it, you are setting them up for a lifetime of misery.
" If you are married, no matter how long you've been together or how much money you have, your next fight is likely to be about money, I also observe that the way a couple deals with money disagreements and disappointments can predict the long-term success, or failure, of the relationship.
A couple who place too much importance on money and material things clearly put their marriage at greater risk.
Indeed, it has been estimated that arguments about money are dominant in 90 percent of divorce cases.
A few adults, whether married or not, have literally sacrificed their lives to materialism.
Of course, most people do not die as a result of pursuing riches.
Yet, life could easily pass them by while they are lost in their quest.
Then, too, the quality of their lives may suffer if job stress or financial strain causes panic attacks, sleeplessness, chronic headaches, or ulcers-health problems that can shorten one's life.
And even if a person wakes up to the need to change his priorities, it may be too late.
His mate may no longer trust him, his children may already be hampered emotionally, and his health may be ruined.
Perhaps some of the damage can be repaired, but it will require a great deal of work.
Most people want a happy family, good health, meaningful work, and enough money to live comfortably.
To have all four requires balance, and when one's main concern is money, that balance is disturbed.
What about you? If you have already found a way to keep money and material things in their place, you are to be commended.
On the other hand, are you rushing through this article right now because your standard of living demands too much of your time? Are you among those who feel a need to cut back materially in favor of greater physical and emotional well-being? Then act decisively before materialism has opportunity to do its destructive work in your household.
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