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Wow! My first thought when I saw the title of this article was, "When did materialism ever die in America?" I'm quite serious. The author writes as though he can remember a time when we in America (and I speak of all of North America) were not material! It's always been here and I think it is because we've always had it so damn good compared to most of the world.

We've had civil wars (Canada and USA when first settled) but we've never experienced a war on our shores. We've given to others less fortunate than ourselves, but we've not given with an open hand nor without expectation of return. We weigh our gifts with a "What's in it for me?" and if we can see no potential of return, do we give? If we gave freely, then why are what we call "third world countries" indebted to us and so much so there's no way in G-d's green earth they'll ever be able to repay us. And knowing that, why do we insist on holding the indebtedness over their heads?

Let me give you a classic example of how quickly our materialism influences newcomers to our soil. In the early 1990's I was a counsellor in a women's shelter in my city of 5 million people. I worked mainly with new immigrants; women coming over from war torn countries in Africa and at that time there was a large influx of immigrants from Russia. I worked with women who, before hitting our shores, had lived in cardboard boxes in refugee camps; they came over here with absolutely nothing.

I would assist them in getting settled in a place of their own; a bachelor apartment or a one bedroom if two of them wanted to share. We had cousins and sisters from the same family arrive. Their husbands and sons and brothers had been killed in wars and internal civil unrests - mostly from Africa.

Within 6 months of being here and set up in a warm, clean apartment of their own, they would be back at the shelter, wanting to stay to get more points so that they could get government assistance for a larger place to live in; the one they had was "too small!" This, when only 6 to 9 months earlier they'd been sleeping on cardboard in tents or boxes in the deserts; very little food, certainly lacking in clean water and hygienic amenities.

That was almost 20 years ago folks. And I can go back even further. We have always had to have more than one car, a bigger house, more than one television and now computer; six million suits and dresses, how many pairs of shoes? I recall a pastor once asking, "How many suits can you wear at one time?" Now this man dressed like he was right out of a fashion magazine; he didn't downplay looking good, he just spoke against our excessiveness. This man was almost 90 when he passed on to be with the L-rd and he told stories about our materialism that dated back, yes now it would be almost 100 years ago!

We've had and had, we've taken and taken and still we are never satisfied. I recall going off on a 4 week volunteer trip to work with women and children in Cuba. As I left the government was going on strike. When I returned 5 weeks later they were still on strike and the words that came out of my mouth, and which I shall continue to utter, were, "When, in this country, is enough ever going to be enough?" It was my return from that trip that stopped me buying coffee. I spent more on coffee in one day than most of the Cubans had to live on for the whole month!

So I ask you, when did materialism ever die in this country?

Learn more about this author, Velma aka Shammah.
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