In his article “Want people to go to Church? Invite them. Want them to stay? Invite them into your life,” Steven Peter explores Tocqueville’s observations on American materialism and spiritual restlessness. The aristocracy’s collapse severed what Tocqueville called the “thread of time.” As a result, wealth began flowing freely among the masses. This shift created an appetite for comfort and a consuming desire for well-being. Tocqueville noted, “In America, the passion for material well-being is not always exclusive, but it is general…The concern to satisfy the slightest needs of the body and to provide for the smallest conveniences of life preoccupies minds universally.”
Because wealth changes hands constantly, possession becomes transient. Consequently, the American mind fixates on what it holds right here, right now. “The inhabitant of the United States is attached to the goods of this world as if he were assured of not dying,” Tocqueville wrote. He hastens so much to seize those goods that pass within his reach “that you would say that at every instant he is afraid of ceasing to live.”
“The inhabitant of the United States is attached to the goods of this world as if he were assured of not dying,”
— Alexis de Tocqueville
This consuming focus on possession draws Americans toward affluence. Furthermore, the need to exchange to gain—combined with the awareness of limited time on earth—creates a frenetic pace of life.
Disclaimer: Information in my “slip-box” doesn’t necessarily reflect my agreement with the source or all its content. Recording diverse perspectives helps strengthen one’s position beyond the echo chamber of like-minded thinkers. By documenting alternative viewpoints, we engage in the intellectual wrestling match that ultimately deepens our understanding.
I aspire to post one note from my “slip-box” every weekday. If you want to learn more about how to work with knowledge, click this link: What is knowledge management?
Pastor Dan Patrick, raised in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., holds both a Bible degree and a Master’s of Divinity. He has ministered across five states from coast to coast, serving in various capacities, including pastoral leadership. Dan’s primary mission is to help people love God’s Word and find their purpose in God’s work.
