The soul of a materialist

Satisfying the soul is a protracted affair whereas material benefits bring immediate joy. Being a man of means implies (and means) that one has material choice. But what happens when one’s means are insufficient to satisfy one’s needs? Either:

• increase the means to feel the joy;
• reduce material needs by enforced or voluntary means;
• lower the material expectation (i.e. work on the soul); or
• maintain the status quo of expectation and see what happens next.

This is not to say that working on the soul is the only way out of the bind, or that by implication pursuing materiality has a negative effect on the soul. But I have my suspicions.