Life's Purpose: Aggregating Fortune?
In today's fast-paced world, success is often measured by the accumulation of wealth, social media followers, and popularity. However, this narrow definition of success has detrimental impacts on society, particularly on youth and the next generation.
The Baha'i teachings offer an alternative perspective, emphasizing the importance of spiritual progress, service, and personal growth. According to these teachings, people will be regarded as successful if they spend their days fulfilling their purpose by trying to serve human society in any way they can. Serving human society is, in fact, one of the main reasons for human existence.
The Baha'i teachings warn against neglecting one's spiritual progress and closing one's eyes to the divine light in the pursuit of material progress. Achieving the "pinnacle of material success" can cause people to sacrifice time and neglect their true selves in pursuit of it. The author of this article shares their personal struggle with attachment to material outcomes and encourages readers to prioritize their spiritual lives as part of a journey towards change.
The negative impacts of measuring success primarily by wealth, fame, and social media popularity are manifold. Superficiality and mental health strain are common outcomes, as when success is equated with online fame or viral content, individuals often experience pressure to maintain attention at all costs, leading to anxiety, depression, and a hollow sense of self-worth. The pursuit of digital popularity disconnects from deeper personal fulfillment and breeds insecurity.
Moreover, the dominance of mega-corporations using fame and digital influence primarily for profit ignores human needs and exploits creators and workers, impacting societal values and job security. The flood of manipulated media and AI-generated content can lead to a “crisis of reality,” where people rely on their biases or “vibes” to decide what to trust, fracturing social cohesion and shared understanding. This undermines collective mythologies and meaningful community experience.
Social media fame can also fuel uncivil behavior, including gendered attacks and harassment especially against marginalized groups, which reduces inclusive and constructive participation in public life.
To shift these perceptions, individuals, families, and communities can emphasize intrinsic values such as character, contribution, and relationships over external markers of success. Cultivating a mindset focusing on personal growth, meaningful relationships, and purpose rather than external validation aligns with research emphasizing that wealth-building and success start from mindset and values, not just material accumulation.
Families can encourage open communication and teach younger generations that self-worth is not defined by popularity or material wealth but by integrity, kindness, and community contribution. Supporting activities that build self-esteem independent of social media metrics is crucial.
Communities can foster shared experiences and real-world connections that emphasize collaboration, trust, and mutual support rather than competition for digital attention. Restoring cultural and social institutions that build collective identity and trust is essential.
By fostering intrinsic values and critical media literacy, society can reduce reliance on wealth, fame, and social media metrics as primary success measures and build a more grounded, inclusive, and healthy collective ethos.
Spiritual happiness, according to the Baha'i teachings, is attained through engaging in spiritual activities such as prayer, service, and striving to enhance one's spiritual qualities. The Baha'i teachings state that happiness consists of two kinds: physical and spiritual, with spiritual happiness being eternal and unfathomable. True, lasting happiness, therefore, is spiritually attained and exists beyond this world.
The Baha'i teachings encourage a focus on service and spirituality, particularly among young people, as a means of prioritizing change and personal growth. By embracing these teachings and shifting our definition of success, we can create a more compassionate, inclusive, and fulfilling society for all.
References: 1. Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2018). iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood—and What That Means for the Rest of Us. Atria Books. 2. Greenfield, P. M. (2018). The Social Media Century: A History. Polity. 3. Pew Research Center. (2018). Social Media Use in 2018. 4. Livingstone, S., & Helsper, E. (2008). Taking risky opportunities in youthful content creation: Young people's engagement with online risk and resilience. New Media & Society, 10(3), 393-411. 5. Dweck, C. S. (2017). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books.
- To align with the Baha'i teachings and prioritize personal growth, it's essential for individuals to focus on spiritual activities, personal finance management, and education and self-development as part of their journey towards change.
- Communities can foster shared experiences, collaborative relationships, and meaningful discussions around personal finance, wealth management, and personal growth, contributing to a more grounded, inclusive, and healthy collective ethos.
