Why are modern societies so obsessed with materialism?

I don't understand why so many people in the modern world are so obsessed with accumulating material wealth. Why does it seem that every person you meet wants to be wealthy and powerful, and have loads of possessions, while the world around us is suffering from lack of empathy, and people are suffering from mental illness, poverty and hunger?<br><br>Is this all just a big game where everyone is pretending to be someone they're not, and that underneath it all, everyone is struggling with their own mental demons?<br><br>I wonder what would the world be like if everyone lived in simplicity and contentment, and the world was run for the benefit of all, rather than the benefit of the few.<br><br>Maybe the modern world is just too focused on the material, and we need a shift towards a more spiritual approach to life.