material girl in --

Leaving the Starbucks drive-thru with one of my favorite drinks, listening to a good song really loud and driving my VW Beetle on a gorgeous, spring day. I can’t think of anything more satisfying.

I started thinking about my Sims 4 game that I started a couple of weeks ago. It was my first time playing it, so naturally the character I made was loosely based off of my character traits. In the Sims 3, I could pick these traits, but in the Sims 4 I had to do a quiz, and my traits were chosen for me. I ended up getting “materialistic” as one of these traits. My initial reaction was mild annoyance. However, it occurred to me that it is accurate in its own way.

I admit that I like my “stuff.” A lot. I often find myself admiring the 1960s shelf-cabinet thing (I can’t remember the name of it) I found at a secondhand shop with my mom for $50 in great condition, with all of the vintage knick-knacks, salt-and-pepper shakers, and valentines from the 1930s with notes still written on them by their original possessors. I admire the dresses I’ve collected, the books I’ve bought. I admire my computer desktop setup, and my various cool rugs and pillows. I love collecting things that bring me joy.

Having materialistic tendencies makes us invariably human. Our physical living conditions are an essential part of our experience. Our environment exerts influence on our subconscious from the time we’re new to the world to our death. This includes where we live, what we live with, and what we see around us everyday. If you study public health even a little, you’ll begin to understand that our environment can even predict what might happen to our health over time.

Of course, the kind of car I have isn’t the most important aspect of this. But my little Beetle going from slow to fast in a super short amount of time sure is fun. I daydream about having a house with wind chimes. I want to be surrounded by fancy lamps and cushy pillows. I want these things for myself. If this makes me materialistic, then so be it. I won’t take jobs for less money than I’m making now, and my income level has always been important to me. But I think, in a way, it’s just a survival mechanism.