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Tocqueville Material Well-Being Analysis

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Tocqueville on Material Well-Being One’s possessions may become an important aspect of their life where people constantly desire more belongings. In a democracy, citizens crave a sense of material well-being. This unique feature of the democracy leads to individuals attempting to acquire more and more without achieving satisfaction with what they already own. People spend their money to obtain belongings rather than saving it. Unlike in an aristocracy, everyone must work for their earnings making individuals place greater significance on the possessions bought with their income. Democratic citizens, more than those in other types of government, value material items because of a restless need for more, and a middle class fueling comparisons …show more content…
The differences between an aristocracy and a democracy cleary present themselves through the individuals of each society. Wealth in an aristocracy commonly gets inherited down through generations, and aristocrats do not worry about work in the same ways as those in a democracy. Individuals in a democratic society work for their money since heritage of money is less common. These citizens value their wealth more because it takes a longer amount of time to gain the belonging. The individuals do not desire material well-being for “the peaceful possession of a precious object” but rather the “imperfectly satisfied desire to possess it” and “the constant fear of losing it” (Tocqueville, 141). The actual possession of the item does not make the individual feel better. Instead, people gain gratifaction from the hard work the put into acquiring the belonging. Due to the fact that citizens in a democracy work for their property, they fear the …show more content…
Americans become so obsessed with their collection of goods. Tocqueville observed individuals who viewed their political duties as a “troublesome inconvenience that distracts them from their private business” (154). The divided structure between a public and private spheres in a society causes individuals to value one aspect of another. In many cases, individuals focus their attention on their private affairs since they see the actual impact of private life. Intrusion form the public annoys and angers those who only concern themselves with their belongings. A third aspect of society also appears and has an influence on individuals and their well-being: religion. Religion in opposition to the other aspects of democratic life, teaches individuals to place less of a value on material items. A religious person fills their soul with their faith, while when someone has no faith they fill it with material possessions (162). Citizens with religious instincts find happiness outside of their belongings. Since religion is not monitored by government, they can not force individuals to be spiritual (162). Religion can control the effects of a materialistic mindset but government cannot mandate it. Religion does have a beneficial outcome; however, the overall neverending desire for more should not be eliminated. If man becomes fully content with their material items “they

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