The number one priority of humanity is material security. Pop singer Madonna made it to the top of the music hit charts with a song, “Material Girl,” that did not make much logical sense. The song sold millions of copies around the world including the United States, Europe, Africa, South America, Canada, Japan and the Caribbean, and stayed on the top of the charts for weeks.

The question that must be asked is why did this seemingly unimportant subject attract so many people, both young and old? I believe this phenomenon was due to the fact that the lyrics of this simple song captured the spirit of the age and the preoccupation of our and all generations. Many adults who may not agree with the personality, lifestyle, philosophy, or musical genre of the pop culture cannot deny the truth this song expresses.

The entire world seems to turn on the axis of materialism. Whether one lives in the shadows of poverty of the industrial concrete jungle in the economic capitals of the world, or sits on the corporate boards of Fortune 500 companies located on the 60th floor of an executive building, or lives in a Third World country village, the allure of materialism generates a magnetic field which causes people to sacrifice any and everything to obtain it.

The older generations of the world’s nations pursue material goods at the expense of personal health, family, marriages, wholesome morality and values, and spiritual sensitivity. They build houses too big for families they lose; buy expensive cars to drive to a job where they spend 16 hours a day; they buy designer clothing that gathers dust in the closet; and, they join country clubs they have no time to enjoy.

Many sacrifice their loved ones on the altar of temporary pleasure and join the rat race in hopes of becoming the “big rat.” Others purchase second homes they never live in and buy complicated adult toys they never use.

Still others provide heaps of material goods for their children who have no appreciation for the value or cost of the goods, and apply the culture of “use and toss” reducing the spirit of gratitude among the young. What a material tragedy. It seems as

if the philosophy of this generation is founded in the belief that one’s value, self-worth, self-esteem and self-concept is derived not from who they are but from what they possess. Their life is measured by the things they accumulate not who they are. They fail to understand that we don’t need things to have life, we need life to have things.

Even more staggering are the children and youth of this older generation. The culture of materialism is the driving force of life for youth worldwide. The worlds of fashion, music, sports, education, social status, and careers are all driven by materialism. The explosion of the music-video industry promoting the image of riches and affluence flaunted by young men and women who portray no record of an honest day’s work further compounds the idea that success in life is measured in terms of material wealth.

The success of television shows like “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” strike a deep cord in the psyche of our materialistic culture and draws on the hidden aspiration of millions to pursue material wealth.

This preoccupation with materialism is also the source of much of the criminal activity within many communities of our nations and manifests itself in antisocial scourges such as the illegal drug industry, gangs, prostitution, robberies, and corruption in corporate and political regions. The hypnotic power of “material things” has controlled mankind from the days of the early Egyptian civilization and can be traced throughout the human journey history. Warnings against this controlling power can be found in writings as far back as Moses and Kings David and Solomon of Israel.

Renowned behavioral scientist and psychologist Abraham Maslow did extensive researched on the subject of human motivation, and concluded that all of the 6.7 billion humans on planet Earth are motivated by primarily by the same needs and are willing to pursue the meeting of these needs at all cost. His list of human priority needs include: food, water, clothing, shelter, housing, and security.

Over 2,000 years ago the greatest teacher of all time, Jesus Christ, presented His list of human priority and admonished mankind to consider these material priorities. One of His students, Matthew, recorded these words by His master teacher while addressing this subject of the priority of human motivation:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” (Matthew 6:25,31).

His admonition for humanity to move their primary focus from material needs and place it on what he calls the “more important” matters of life is a startling contrast to our current global culture.

In this book I explore this repositioning of priority and the philosophy behind it. I present the solution to this debilitating possession by and preoccupation with the lure of materialism, and provide practical principles designed to free us all from the self- destructive and socially abusing spirit of materialism.

Let’s journey together and discover the Creator’s original priority, and embrace the opportunity to rearrange our life’s priorities to experience stress-free living above circumstances and measures of temporal success.

INTRODUCTION The wise person questions himself, the fool others.

In the depth of every human soul on earth is a search for meaning, purpose, significance and value. No matter what race, culture, language, or religion, this preoccupation with the need to find answers to our existence is inherent in every human spirit.

For what are we searching? Why is this internal search so common among all humankind? Could it be that this common search is evidence of a common loss? What did we lose and where did we lose it? Where can we and will we ever find it? It is my belief that every person on earth is searching for what the Father of all

humankind lost—dominion over earth.

Most people don’t know what they are searching for. They know they are searching for something, some purpose that will give meaning and fulfillment to their lives, but they cannot identify what it is. Many seek an answer in the pursuit of money, power, possessions, or pleasure. Others search for it in science, philosophy, or intellectualism. Some turn to alcohol or consciousness-altering drugs.

There are also those who look to religion for the meaning of life. In every case, the result is the same. No matter how hard they try or how diligently they search, the object of their quest eludes them. Despite their best efforts, the answer they seek remains hidden from view. After all, it is extremely difficult to find something when you do not know what you are looking for!

All of us, essentially, are restless at the very core of our being. This is because each of us has a built-in drive to rule and dominate, to exercise control over our circumstances and environment. Yet, very few of us experience this in reality. For the vast majority of us, the opposite is true: our circumstances and environment control us. Something deep inside of us yearns for mastery and fulfillment that seem to be just outside our reach, as if we were meant for a destiny different than the one we are living. It is as though we

—Henry Arnold

long to return to a place we once inhabited, but lost somewhere along the way; and now we have no idea how to get back. The majority of humans lead lives of quiet desperation.

This is, indeed, the exact plight of humanity. Each of us is tailor-made for rulership. Our Designer and Manufacturer built into us both the inclination and the capability for exercising dominion over the natural order. Our original destiny was to rule as kings and queens on the earth as vice-regents of our Creator, the King of Heaven. In this way we would extend the government, authority, and influence of His invisible supernatural realm into the visible realm of the natural world.

That destiny was altered, however, when the first human pair abdicated to a usurper and pretender to the throne, an unemployed cherub who arrogantly ascended to the place of earthly authority designed and reserved for man. Our deepest heart cry ever since, although unidentified by most of us, has been to return to that place of dominion our original human ancestors once enjoyed. We long to find what they lost.