The development of our value system

We are consuming more than ever. We are more networked. We are more efficient. And we are living faster and faster. How does that affect us?

We are consuming more than ever. We are more networked. We are more efficient. And we are living faster and faster. We've grown up in a world where we have everything. And we've never really had to worry about the existential things in life.

The third world today and the western world in the past:

In some countries I've been allowed to visit, it's not like that. Where poverty is written in capital letters and abundance in small letters, people don't have so much. If you want to put it in our words: Most of them have nothing at all. There is no social welfare, you don't just get money from the state and you don't have the right to watch television. Food supplies are not secure. Many sit on the streets, depend on selling handmade things and work more hours than most workaholics here. If they don't manage to earn their daily wage, they can no longer feed themselves and their children. There are few opportunities out there.

What are the values of the individuals? They are significantly shaped by hope, confidence and appreciation of what you have. They have little choice but to draw strength from these values.

Not so long ago, the values in our society were similar. When our grandparents were rebuilding our country after the last world war. They had to process what they had experienced, and there was not much left for them to do but to draw strength from hope, confidence and appreciation of the simplest things. Today our western world has changed a lot. We live in security and we can consume almost endlessly.

The Western world today:

Yet I see relatively few satisfied faces. I see relatively few who appreciate the basic things in life. But I see many who, hoping it will make them happier, want more and more and more. More clothes, more cars, more followers, more success. I see values developing from hope, confidence and appreciation in the direction of influence, superiority and consumption. It's no longer about ensuring survival, but about standing out from the crowd as the best. I see relatively many burnt-out faces in a search for more and more and more. I see many bodies and souls that can no longer keep up with all the impressions of the modern world. And I see that what is really important is losing its value.

Why do we always need more? Why don't we value what we have? Why do we often put ourselves under such pressure? The wardrobe is actually already full, isn't it?

Of course we should try to advance society. But we should also not forget where we come from. We should appreciate the things we have. We should appreciate the security and luxury with which we surround ourselves daily. Maybe then we will realize that many of our problems are not really problems at all - they are often just imaginary problems. Maybe we would take some things more easily. Maybe we would feel better and be more satisfied with the times ahead. Maybe we should try to look at these old values from time to time and appreciate what we actually have.

From which mobile phone are you reading this text? What kind of clothes are you wearing right now? Where did that water you drank today come from? And how fast does the hot plate in the kitchen actually heat up?

Why don't you try:

Why don't you try in a few quiet moments to think about all the material and immaterial things you actually have. Try to appreciate them and be grateful for being allowed to have them. Many others do not have such things.