Many people say that we now live in 'consumer societies' where money and possessions are given too much importance. Others believe that consumer culture has played a vital role in improving our lives.

While

some believe that consumerism can have a positive impact on our

lives

, others feel that we place too much value on

money

and goods.

Although

I recognise that there is truth on both sides of the argument, I strongly agree that we place too much value on having a lot of

money

and stuff. Those in favour of the consumer society say that it makes

people

's

lives

better. They point out that when

people

spend

money

rather than save it,

this

creates jobs in factories and shops and helps a country's economy grow.

In addition

to

this

, they claim, having a huge range of products to choose from gives us the freedom to live our

lives

in exactly the way we want.

People

who are anti-consumerists complain that our love of buying stuff can harm our

lives

.

For example

, the waste it creates damages the environment; the large corporations we buy things from, they say, kill off local produce and traditions, making all places in the world seem similar.

Above all

, when

people

focus on

money

and possessions, they forget human values –

such

as being part of a community – which leads to unhappiness. Most developed countries tend to measure their success by how successful their economies are and how much

people

buy.

However

, I believe

this

puts too much importance on getting

money

and buying things that we don't really need.

This

obsession with buying and selling can damage the environment, kill local variety, and make us forget that our relationships with the community around us are actually far more important. Perhaps we need to find a new way to judge the success of a society.