IF more and more people are impatient and pleasure-seeking, do you blame it partly on the influence of advertisements or on adults who spoil the young ones? We hardly see commercials that tell people to simplify or to sacrifice for a while. Many advertisers tell people to buy more, indulge more, and get things quick.
How does it affect us? The majority no longer want to wait and sacrifice anymore, so people forget about their values. They can’t see the logic in delaying gratification, e.g., less food trips in order to save for a project, less TV time which means more time for the study period, etc.
They miss the discipline of saving and sacrificing for something valuable to them. They fail to develop the ability to wait for the right time, the ability to deny themselves a little pleasure in exchange for something that is more important. They also miss the triumphant feeling of being able to complete the process and getting the much-awaited reward.
With advertisers relying heavily on different forms of media and big-time celebrity endorsers, it seems consumers never run out of great things to acquire and “well-deserved treats” to splurge on. The excitement of having something new thrills consumers, but when the feeling subsides, they want something else. The craving never really stops, but the budget is not unlimited.
If a child is accustomed to acquiring more and more toys, gadgets, and personal items, what happens when one or both parents’ income stream stops? In the case of an OFW’s dependent, what happens when the contract is terminated, or when the OFW is either too old or too sick to renew a contract?
The things consumers can buy are infinite, but for the majority, the income is limited.
Who is going to teach young people about simplicity, contentment, and delaying gratification? Who is going to teach them about saving for the rainy days? Adjustments and changes in behavior do not happen overnight. People’s spending habits, it seems, are among the hardest to change!
Blessed are they whose desire for material things can be controlled. Blessed are they whose behaviors are not easily influenced by advertisements, celebrities, and even the Joneses.
It pays to simplify!
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