Which mode of existence is prevalent in today's world? To be or to have?

I actually see this divide as being between those whose outlook on life is geared to the collective, and those who are geared to the individual. Western society has been geared to the individual for most of the last three centuries, and now those Western values have more than begun to infect the East, which traditionally has been much closer to the collective approach. In saying "geared to the collective" I do not mean that a person cannot be an individual and be concerned with his/her own needs, but that in the big picture the welfare of the polity, or the common weal, takes precedence over one's own enrichment. If one's business pursuits, for instance, revolve around harming the environment or impoverishing people, it is geared to the individual good of the businessman and his family, not to the collective, and therein lies the problem. Measures to aid the collective may damage the ability of individuals to become obscenely rich, but it doesn't destroy our futures or destroy people's lives. Lash

Sadly I think too many people have gone down the 'to have' route so far, that they've forgotten how 'to be' and to enjoy the simple, free things in life. Blatant materialism I feel has in my country largely destroyed the soul and heart of humanity.