Being a participant and spectator of life over the last fifty years, I have noticed that the “dis-ease of more” has become prevalent in our society. Back in the 1970s, life was far simpler and people didn’t seem to be so obsessed with material things. Most of the houses were simple but nice. The same was true for automobiles and the clothes that people wore. Back in the day, it seemed the great majority of people lived simply while a small percentage were considered rich. The well to do may have owned a Cadillac or Lincoln automobile, had a vacation cottage and possibly traveled for pleasure on a commercial airliner.
As a kid growing up in our subdivision, I cannot recall any neighbor with a luxury car or who had traveled by plane. When it came to vacationing, most people packed up the car and took road trips to amusement and national parks or to visit families in other states.
During the 1980s, materialism seemed to pick up speed. During this time, people were not just buying a simple old house on a lake to live in, they would buy it, level it and rebuild a large house in its place. More people were buying expensive cars and clothes, going out to eat at luxury restaurants and traveling more frequently by plane. When the 1990s and 2000s rolled around, Cadillacs and Lincolns were mainstream and foreign cars like BMW and Mercedes were more common. People were also buying lots of toys, which may have included jet skis, wave runners, quads, ski boats and various other things as if they were in a race against their fellow neighbors.
Fast forward to 2026 and all bets are off. It’s hard to tell who has money and who doesn’t as BMWs, Mercedes and Tesla cars are everywhere. Most of my neighbors have lots of toys that sit around and collect dust and interest. Credit card debt has become a chronic habit for many as people keep trying to add more material things without realizing that “material stuff” cannot make us happy.
On top of this, trying to compete or keep up with others is a recipe for anxiety and sorrow. I can remember when I landed my first big job working for global software company. I too wanted to have nice things like a big house, boat and fancy car. It was all good for a little while until I realized none of this stuff could buy real happiness and all of it came with a big price tag. That is, having to worry about keeping the big job so to make all the payments each month. The stress of worrying about keeping up with the monthly payments quickly drove away the happiness and replaced it with anxiety. I was fortunate to learn a valuable and costly lesson that true happiness comes from within, not from without.
Also, back when my parents worked, it seemed that companies were more loyal to their workers. People could stay with the same company until retirement at which time they most likely received a pension. In 2026, those days seem long gone. Today, there is no guarantee of job security. It’s more about lean operations, meeting metrics and making sure workers produce to their maximum output. With the current state of global affairs and an uncertain job market, it’s very risky for a person to extend oneself on credit for the sake of a nice car, dress, dinner, toy or trip. If we look back in time, most of us started our adult lives living quite simply.
The question is, have we let ourselves get out of control with our material buying habits? Have we put them in control of our happiness? If we answer yes, we may want to reflect on and weigh the cost of such actions. I was speaking with one of my closet friends the other day, he lives in Virginia, near DC. He was sharing how stressful his life is due to the cost of living in the area. He has been working his regular full-time job along with his side business but barely gets by. He works on average 65-75 hours per week with some weeks up to 90 hours per week. He has been doing this for years and makes good money but doesn’t have anything to show for it.
As a result of working so hard to provide, he let his health go and now has to fight a disease each day, one that is not curable. He sadly admitted that he will have to work until he drops dead as he has no savings plan in place. We spoke about simplifying his life so he can have more time for health, spirit, his fiancé and family.
Sometimes, we need to stop what we are doing, look into the mirror of reflection and be completely honest with ourselves. If our current actions are not producing real happiness and our material lives and spending are out of control, what do we need to do to restore balance? By retracing our steps back to a simpler way of living, we can have an almost immediate and positive effect on our peace of mind and internal happiness.
On the other hand, being in debt to credit card companies is not much different than a loan shark. Both will gladly come after your material things if you lose your job or miss enough payments. For many years, I only paid cash and avoided credit cards. If I couldn’t afford to pay cash, I didn’t need it. Today, I only keep one credit card and pay it in full each month. Years ago, I downsized my home. I now live in a more affordable community that is away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It has lots of greenery, animals and nature around. It made a huge difference for me.
Simplifying life has many rewards that include peace of mind, inner happiness and contentment along with increased savings. Also, these days with the world in constant turmoil, it’s good to have an emergency fund that can carry you and the family for at least 3-4 months. Remember, the joys of simple living far outweigh the fast-moving, stress-producing and debt-riddled life that so many have mistakenly called happiness.
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