The Pursuit of Material Prosperity

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN TAIWAN

‘MONEY can’t buy happiness!’ Even though most people more or less agree with that statement, many of them are still relentlessly pursuing material riches as a way to a happier life. And why not? After all, it seems that the solution to so many of mankind’s problems lies in material success and prosperity.

Just imagine what a different world it would be if every man, woman, and child enjoyed a materially prosperous life! Gone would be the indignities and the sufferings of the millions who live in the world’s slums and ghettos. Gone, too, would be the problem of homelessness now plaguing every nation, rich and poor.

And what about good health, so vital to happiness? Though medical science is moving ahead by leaps and bounds, more and more people are finding out that they can ill afford its services. On the other hand, hunger and malnutrition are still the daily experience of millions. If prosperity prevailed worldwide, everyone would have the opportunity to live healthier, and thus happier, lives​—would they not?

Even the earth itself would benefit. How? The earth’s environment is now being ruined by deadly pollutants, caused partly by the burning of fossil fuels. Yet, one reason cited for not pursuing the technology needed to utilize cleaner forms of energy is that it is too expensive. The destruction of the rain forests, another serious ecological threat, is also blamed largely on economic factors.

Since material prosperity could seemingly solve so many of our problems and alleviate so much suffering, it is no wonder that people have long associated wealth with happiness. For example, whereas Westerners customarily greet one another with a “Happy New Year!” on New Year’s Day, the Chinese, during the lunar New Year, traditionally say “Kung hsi fa tsai” to one another, wishing that they will ‘strike it rich!’ Yes, there is no denying that we live in a world in which people give the pursuit of material prosperity a very high, if not the highest, priority. Success or failure is often measured with a material yardstick.

While the acquisition and enjoyment of material things is not necessarily wrong in itself, can it guarantee happiness? How much importance should be attached to it? Is material prosperity really the key to a better world?

Can Material Prosperity Guarantee Happiness?

“OUT of about 50 students in our school, only 1 or 2 wore shoes,” recalls 45-​year-​old Poching, who grew up in southern Taiwan during the 1950’s. “We couldn’t afford them. However, we never considered ourselves poor. We had all we needed.”

That was some 40 years ago. Since then, life has changed dramatically for Poching and the rest of the 20 million inhabitants of that island. As the book Facts and Figures​—The Republic of China on Taiwan explains, “Taiwan [was] transformed from an agricultural society into a vibrant industrial society.” By the late 1970’s, Taiwan was regarded as “a stable, prosperous society.”

Indeed, evidence of prosperity is seen everywhere in Taiwan. From the ultramodern high-​rise office complexes that have mushroomed up across the island to the highways crowded with expensive imported automobiles, the material prosperity of Taiwan is the envy of other developing nations. The China Post, Taiwan’s leading English-​language newspaper, boasts that today “the people of Taiwan enjoy the highest living standard in Chinese history.”

‘Multitude of Thorny Problems’

Has all this material prosperity brought the people true happiness and satisfaction? While there is no doubt much that the people of Taiwan are proud of, there is another side to this success story. China Post goes on to point out: “With this high degree of affluence have come a multitude of complicated and thorny problems.” Taiwan’s material prosperity has not come without a price.

Regarding the “complicated and thorny problems” that are besetting this once relatively crime-​free island, China Post observes: “In recent years crime and disorder have increased alarmingly in our affluent society, posing a growing threat to the lives and property of all law-​abiding citizens.” In an article entitled “Wealth Makes Taiwan a Land of Lust,” the Post decries the problems of burgeoning “girlie restaurants and bars” and of illegal houses of prostitution operating under the guise of barbershops. Extortion and kidnapping with the intent to collect a ransom have become another problem. One report speaks of the kidnapping of children as “Taiwan’s new boom industry.” Many resort to such crimes as a means to pay off gambling debts or other financial losses.

Children are not simply innocent victims of crime. They are increasingly involved in committing crimes. Reports show that in 1989 alone, the number of crimes committed by juveniles jumped 30 percent. Some trace this increase to the breakdown of the family, and statistics seem to support this. For example, from 1977 to 1987, the number of Taiwanese couples who married decreased, but the divorce rate more than doubled. Since Chinese culture traditionally emphasizes the importance of the family in a stable society, it is no wonder that many are very concerned about the worsening conditions.

Root of the Problem

Various explanations have been offered in an effort to determine the reason for the deterioration of social order in the midst of a prosperous society. Some people, being rather philosophical, say that it is just the price of success. But putting the blame on success or prosperity is like blaming food for gluttony. Not all who eat are gluttons, nor is everyone who is prosperous materialistic or a criminal. No, material prosperity does not in itself cause crime and social disorder.

An editorial in the China Post pointed to a major contributing factor. It said: “We have, over the decades, laid too great an emphasis on material development. This is responsible for the decline of moral and spiritual values in our society today.” (Italics ours.) Yes, overemphasizing the pursuit of material things leads to a spirit of materialism and greed. It promotes self-​centeredness. It is just such a spirit that leads to family breakdown and a proliferation of social ills. What the Bible said 2,000 years ago is still true: “The love of money [not money itself] is a root of all sorts of injurious things.”​—1 Timothy 6:10.

A Worldwide Problem

In search of peace and quiet​—and safety—​thousands have emigrated from Taiwan to other countries. But the problems Taiwan is experiencing are not unique to Taiwan. They are rampant worldwide.

Some years ago a study showed that the wealthiest county in California, U.S.A., had the highest divorce rate in the country. About 90 percent of all real-​estate transactions in some areas of the county were the result of broken marriages. Twice as many suicides as the national average were reported. The rate of alcoholism was one of the highest in the country, and there were said to be more psychiatrists and other mental therapists in the county per capita than anywhere else in the United States.

Jesus Christ pointed out a fundamental truth when he said: “Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every utterance coming forth through Jehovah’s mouth.” (Matthew 4:4) Material possessions, no matter how abundant, cannot satisfy a person’s every need, nor can they guarantee happiness. On the contrary, it is often as a Chinese saying puts it: “When one is well fed and warm, one’s thoughts turn to excesses and fleshly desires.” This is demonstrated by what is taking place in Taiwan and elsewhere​—material prosperity alone often turns out to be the prelude to moral and social decay and its attendant problems.

What, then, is needed so that material prosperity can be a part of real and lasting happiness? For an answer, please read the following article.

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“When one is well fed and warm, one’s thoughts turn to excesses and fleshly desires.”​—Chinese saying

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Material affluence turned small towns into bustling, neon-​lit cities

Happiness​—Guaranteed!

“HAPPY are those conscious of their spiritual need,” said Jesus Christ. (Matthew 5:3) Contrary to conventional wisdom, Jesus pointed to the fulfilling of one’s spiritual need rather than the satisfying of material desires as the one essential ingredient for success in the pursuit of happiness. Those words of Jesus, if followed, amount to a guarantee of happiness.

Being conscious of one’s spiritual need, however, means more than simply being aware that such exists. More often than not, a need unfulfilled is a source of anxiety and resentment rather than of happiness. The Bible proverb puts it this way: “Expectation postponed is making the heart sick.” (Proverbs 13:12) Thus, happiness blossoms as one takes steps to identify and then to satisfy one’s spiritual need. How can this be done?

This is where the Bible comes in. Why? Because it alone can provide answers to questions that many have long contemplated without finding satisfying answers. For example, have you ever wondered, ‘What is the purpose of life? Why is man on the earth? What does the future hold?’ Besides providing satisfying answers to these and many other questions, the Bible also supplies guidance for living that has helped millions to cope with the complex problems that confront all of us today and that often impede our search for happiness. “[God’s] word is a lamp to my foot, and a light to my roadway,” says the psalmist. (Psalm 119:105) Yes, the Bible is a sure guide that can help you succeed in the pursuit of happiness. Consider these two real-​life examples.

From Resentment to Marital Happiness

Marriage can be a source of happiness or of misery. Sadly, for many it is the latter. However, the Bible’s counsel, when applied, has helped many to find happiness in a once unhappy marriage.

Yungk’un and Meihsiu had such an experience. “The first seven years of our marriage were not happy ones,” confides Yungk’un. “I spent very little time with my wife and two daughters. In fact, I often slept at my place of work.” Although having all they needed materially, they were not happy. His wife adds: “Aside from providing for us materially, my husband left all family matters in my care. I really resented it.” They even thought of separating.

Yungk’un had other family problems as well. Because of previous family difficulties, he had not spoken to his sister for seven years. This in spite of the fact that they lived less than a hundred yards from each other. Now, however, he enjoys a happy marriage and a fine relationship with his sister. Why the big change?

“My wife and I began studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses and attending their weekly Bible meetings,” explains Yungk’un. His sister did the same. They began to apply the things they were learning and were amazed at the results. Yungk’un obtained employment that allowed him to care for not only the material needs of his family but also their spiritual and emotional needs. They now enjoy a happy, united family life.

She Found a Purpose in Life

Those who study human nature have said that to be happy we need a reason for living, a purpose in life. A life centered on the selfish pursuit of material things does not satisfy this need. Twenty-​six-​year-​old Lini found this to be true.

“I used to work 12 hours a day, seven days a week,” she says. “My goal was to open a large beauty salon.” Even though she was close to realizing her dream, she felt something was missing in her life. “I used to wonder about the purpose of life. Was it just to work and make money?”

Then one day someone came into her shop and asked her the very question she had wondered about. She was told that the Bible could answer that question. Although she had never read the Bible before, she agreed to set aside one hour each week to examine it.

From her weekly study, Lini learned that the Bible had foretold many of the things she was witnessing every day. She was amazed at how accurately the Bible had described ahead of time the attitudes that existed all around her, foretelling that men would be “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-​assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-​control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God.” She studied other prophecies that point to the unprecedented suffering caused by wars, famines, and natural disasters that are seen around the world.​—2 Timothy 3:1-5; Matthew 24:7, 12.

Lini then learned something that made her very happy​—these world conditions that often rob people of happiness are an indication that a new era in human history is near. (Matthew 24:3-14) She also read in the Bible that the Creator of mankind purposes to establish a new world here on earth, where material prosperity such as imperfect man has never known will prevail worldwide. (Psalm 72:16; Isaiah 65:17, 18, 21, 22) This future prosperous society will not be marred by the existence of greed, selfishness, and materialism, with all their evil consequences. (Psalm 37:9-11, 29; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10) She was thrilled when she read these words in the Bible: “There are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.”​—2 Peter 3:13.

Happiness Awaits You

Rather than spending all her time in the pursuit of material goals, Lini now spends much of her time telling others about the things she has learned. Would you like to know more about these wonderful promises? Would you like to discover how the Bible can help you to find the happiness that Lini, Yungk’un, Meihsiu, and millions of others have found? Jehovah’s Witnesses would be most willing to assist you.

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Our Creator purposes to establish an earthly paradise