Materials

America's consumer industry has created many 'devices' in hopes of filling their pockets and alleviating our unhappiness and stresses. time has proven that no matter how much you gain financially, using your finances as away to obtain joy and happiness doesn't have a long term betterment.

The liquor industry is very rich and powerful from marketing it's product as one that would make you happy, help your personality to flourish or life easier to cope with. Many years ago....before I was born, even before my parents were born alcohol was illegal to sell. Prohibition : the period (1920–33) when the Eighteenth Amendment was in force and alcoholic beverages could not legally be manufactured, transported, or sold in the U.S. For 13 years Alcohol was not allowed, in any form, to be produced in the USA. Some where in between that time the Government found that they could make tons of money from it's production and lifted the band. I'm quite sure that the long term affects were some what understood although more in depth 'today.'

When material things were bought and sold to meet the needs of people marketing approaches changed in such a way that would meet the needs of peoples emotions. For example, a cell phone is a necessity because house phones cannot be transported and that industry complimented those that were rich, busy bodies, and could afford it. Now, cell phones are bought and sold through our necessity to have the latest of something and to make ourselves feel better about our social condition.

The Bible (word of God) tells us that abundance is not contained in the things a 'man' owns. Then he said to them, "Be careful to guard yourselves against every kind of greed, for a person's life doesn't consist of the amount of possessions he has." (Luke 12:15 ISV)

So as long as we have food and clothes, we will be satisfied with these. But people who want to get rich keep toppling into temptation and are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires that plunge them into destruction and ruin. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, in their eagerness to get rich, have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with much pain. (1 Timothy 6:8-10 ISV)

Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for God has said, "I will never leave you or abandon you." Hence we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"

(Hebrews 13:5-6 ISV)

God does want us to have peace and joy. But it is through His love for us and vise-versa that it is obtain. Without God all that we have is our hunt for that one material item that will appease our whole lives and I'm sure that a lot of men and women have died trying to find it.

Have faith in the word and work of Christ and the love of God so that our heart and soul will be prioritized.

Blessings.

If interested...here's a video on the development of the consumer industry according Siegmund Freud's theories titled "The Century of the Self"- Happy Machines by Adam Curtis