Why do we aspire to this?
What has gone so wrong in society that we have to worry so much about money? We support companies that dehumanize their workers, we support innovation to the point that our machines are replacing our jobs, and we pursue meaningless jobs to support our lifestyles that enable these things.
As a Libertarian-minded individual, I do support the idea of capitalism- that if you work hard, you can make your dreams come true. But we need a balance. We can't put such a focus on money as we do on fulfillment. We (as consumers) also need to make sure that the companies we are supporting with our jobs and our consumerism are not engaging in human rights violations and are giving their workers enough money to live on. Unfortunately, our society no longer seems to see this line.
"Our incredible willingness to make the people who add value to our lives rich allows them to become content with their riches and step away from doing the things that we want them to do. We're effectively dis-incentivizing [sic] them from doing the very thing we want them to do. By making them rich - which we do to ensure that they don't stop making the content we like - we're causing the very outcome we wish to avoid." - Thomas J. Hamaker (admin of Rational Political Debate, Facebook)
Am I saying we need to technologically regress or go back to local only buying? Of course not. I used to be an engineering student. I love math and science innovation. But we, as consumers, should reevaluate our choices in companies we support. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer to the point that many barely have what they need to survive even here in America. Across the seas, many people aren't getting what they need.
The UN reported that about 21,000 people die from hunger each day. This doesn't even put in to account dehydration and hygiene-related diseases. That's sad, you might say, but what does that have to do with me? Many of these are from third-world countries, of course, but we do get a lot (most) of our products from China. In China, "In 2009 alone, approximately one million workers were injured at work and about 20,000 suffered from diseases due to their occupation." [1] One million. That's about the population of Dallas, Texas (see here for other cities). That would mean nearly every person in Dallas was injured enough to have to report it, so this is just an "Ow, I bumped my head." This is, "Ow, I lost a finger," or "Ow, I broke my arm." Millions of these people are living off of just a couple dollars a day. We make four times that here at a minimum wage job in the states, in an hour.
How can we fix this? Well, the big idea is to do your research. Where was your product made? Does that place have workers' rights laws (that they follow)? If not, can you find an alternative product that does support workers' rights? It's just a small step, but it could make a big difference in the long run.
Regarding the other point of this discussion- meaningful work. Why are we working monotonous office jobs that support these products that dehumanize people around the globe? "You will spend your life completely wasting your time. You'll be doing things you don't like doing in order to go on living. That is, to go on doing things you don't like doing, which is stupid...It's absolutely stupid to spend your time doing things you don't like in order to go on spending things you don't like and doing things you don't like and to teach your children to follow in the same track," (Alan Watts, "What if Money Were No Object?"). We all have things, and we like our things. But our things won't be around forever and in the end materialism doesn't make us any happier. Things do not reach in to the soul and reflect our humanity. Doing things we love creates fulfillment and happiness.
So...what is it that you like? Maybe you believe that we were called to live radically and want to work for a missions organization. Maybe you like scuba diving and want to study fish in Australia. Maybe you like photography and weddings and want to be a wedding photographer. So do what you love and stop chasing the American Dream. There is a job for everything, and everyone has to do something. You might as well do what you love.
