Is materialism corrupting ?

Majority of the people live life as if they are in a race to accumulate the best possible of possessions and experiences in comparison to the rest of their social and family circle.They throughly enjoy the chase and the adrenalin rush of achieving the next coveted thing.Some, indulge in the the painful self dissecting act of introspection and try to rise above the enticements of materialism either due to a gap between their income and aspirations( a practical approach) or due to pursuit of intellectualism and spiritualism. Others justify their desires by giving them a cloak of acceptability under the garb of societal pressure, expectations,self esteem needs,value addition, investment etc. Whatever ones attitude to accumulation of possessions, I wonder why we feel guilty about it? It is not as if the fault lies in the things that we desire.Its the motivation behind the desire that defines the nature of your personal materialism binge. Striving to have enough money to have financial security and independence, creating value in the form of enterprise, helping others and creating more meaningful experiences in life and sometimes indulging in wanting to own someting because of its beauty( whether a car,a dress or a piece of jewellery) cannot be termed as materialism. But pursuing money for the sake of money and using it to prop up our self esteem or seek happiness through endless purchasing is mindless materialism which corrupts our spirit.