Understanding the Purpose and Use of Shallowness

(Philosocom's Subcategory on Shallowness)

(Background music)

The shallow confirmative nature of modern society breeds competitive cultures built on fitting in rather than standing out, and only allows hierarchical competition within a predetermined set of behavioral norms.

The assumptions people are brainwashed into having about how people should be, life, and its meaning, prevent them from delving deeper into the realm of soul searching or from trying to understand others from their point of view.

Comfort and unearned pleasantries that pamper such people since birth hamper their critical thinking, moral compasses and social skills to the extent that they don’t care about right or wrong. They are addicted to an endless meaningless rat race that never truly fulfills them and some of them take it out on those closest to them for lack of better communication or understanding of themselves and their souls. -- Ms. D. A. I.

We live in a world that is basically shallow, and it will probably get even shallower as time goes on and as technology continues to advance.

Of course, we live in an age of relative prosperity in many aspects—financially, medically, scientifically, and academically. However, such prosperity does not surpass the growing shallowness of the masses, who play a very large part in the development of the world's economy.

The materialistic definition of success, we can theorize, comes from the cold fact that shallowness pays the bills and increases the wealth of the masterminds behind the various industries of the globe. Corporations are there to maximize profit while minimizing the costs required for that profit to grow and be successfully generated.

Buying countless items that you don't need, while increasing your own risk of addiction, is a very profitable method for continuing and empowering the financial motion of the world. Therefore, telling people that material prosperity is equivalent to success, even at the cost of their wellbeing, is a profitable message to deliver.

Such is the cruelty of capitalism and its free market: You either make and motivate people to buy your services and products, even if such action might be a form of deception or manipulation, or you risk your business and your overall profit, which is necessary for your survival. This is not to say, of course, that communism is preferable, as that method has its downsides as well.

Nonetheless, if we are able to overcome the conformity of the herd mentality and stop buying things that aren't necessarily useful to us, we can maintain our sense of self-worth as independent from the amount of material possessions and the money in our wallet.

We should also forget the notion of FOMO, or the "fear of missing out," as that idea contains the fallacy that we should do something just because our lifespan is finite. We should overcome the unnecessary guilt of missing out on things, so we can live in a happier manner without being monitored and judged negatively due to that fear.

There is a cliché that says that life has more to it than just money. Even though it is a cliché that is often used in self-help books, it is actually true to an extent. Not everything that we do in life has to generate profit in order for us to enjoy and be fulfilled by it. Not everything has to have its worth estimated by the level of revenue it generates, if at all.

The possible solution to the problem of financial materialism can therefore be our ability to endure against money-wasting temptations, and by having the audacity to walk against the herd mentality of the mass consumerists, even if their reaction towards us will be less than we desire it to be.

Here are some additional thoughts on the matter:

• We should focus on experiences rather than possessions. Experiences are more likely to bring us lasting happiness than material possessions.

• We should find ways to be content with what we have. There is no need to constantly strive for more.

• We should be mindful of our spending. We should only buy things that we need, things that help our ambitions, and things that will bring us joy.

• We should be grateful for what we have. There are many people in the world who have less than we do.

By following these tips, we can break free from the shackles of financial materialism and live a more fulfilling life.