Americans are Never Satisfied

In today’s world, nearly everyone has a vehicle, a cell phone, and a television, among other things. In many homes, there are more televisions than family members. No one needs these things in order to survive. However it is built into our minds that without such items, our lives would be filled with many more difficulties. Although Americans can achieve temporary satisfaction through material objects, happiness is never fully achieved because of wasteful consumerism and the fact that people constantly want new things and are never content with what they have.



American’s expectations have become so demanding that everyone lives their lives by convenience rather than necessity. “Seeing is believing, and if American success is to count for anything in the world it must be clothed in the raiment of property.” American ideals have changed in which a person who possesses many material objects is viewed as successful. They are under the false impression that being equipped with several items will bring a life full of virtue. Objects might bring momentary satisfaction but in the long run joy can’t be bought.



Americans in general are rarely content because they constantly want new things and don’t ever seem to be pleased with what they already have. We have based “our entire culture and way of being on the belief that ‘just a little bit more’ will finally buy happiness.” Americans are constantly on the pursuit of finding joy but temporary satisfaction is the only thing ever achieved. At an early age one learns to live their lives by convenience rather than necessity. The shopping industry is highly successful based on the impulsivity of people, and their willingness to spend money in order to feel satisfied with themselves. It is also part of our nature to identify happiness with different issues, “with health when he is ill, with wealth when he is poor”. We don’t realize how great it feels to be healthy until we get sick, and we don’t appreciate having money until we no longer have they luxury to spend it. One can never be fully satisfied if they only think about the items that they are missing and aren’t grateful for what they already own.



Americans never achieve full happiness because they tend to fill their lives with objects that have little importance rather than things that have meaning. They are buying more than they have room to store and are consuming material objects at faster pace than they are building happiness and satisfaction. It is a controversial issue that is never ending and in the long run, achieving a life full of happiness lies within the hands of the individual.