When we are hungry, we have a need for nourishing food. Seeking an extra pair of pants or a new car will not satiate that hunger, only temporarily distract us from it. If our consumption does not match our real need, the emptiness we seek to fill will remain, and no matter how much we gorge ourselves on false substitutes, we will continue to starve inside. If greed is a symptom of emptiness, what is it that we are really hungry for?

Why do we seek to acquire money, certain products, resources, or positions, experiences and lifestyles? Perhaps it’s to full-fill a need for power and control, or safety and security. In a materialistic culture, we are sold a mindset that tends to put greater emphasis on the accumulation of money and tangible resources as an expression of status.

But when financial worth becomes mixed up with personal value, and our social identity is judged on the merits of being a producer or a consumer, who does this mindset really serve?

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Who decides what is valuable and worth pursuing ~ what (or who) is worthy of our time, energy and attention? What influences and shapes our core values and interprets our experiences of worth? And who decides what aspects of reality get to be seen and heard?