babayada
The core issue here, as I see it, is not about what you accomplish here and now so much as what you are building for once you leave here. I would agree to a point that concentrating on more earthly matters seems to bring more instant gratification and would on a superficial level seems like the more desirable route to go. I feel your thinking is limited however in that it sounds as if you assume that "this" is all there is so you might as well get all you can now because once you are gone then it won't matter. If that is your perspective then what you are saying makes perfect sense. If you hold a larger perspective then it is a very shortsighted way of viewing the world.
Now in reference to people stopping their search once unfulfilled needs are met you do have a point and that is very true of some or most seekers. It is the nature of man and the nature of Gaia to forget about the important things when you enter a state of comfort. Slaves dream of freedom but if they become free and forget how bad it was they can be led back to slavery over time and never realize they have become enslaved again. America is the perfect example of this. The slaves think they are free because they have the biggest cage with the shiny gold chains. Comfort leads to forgetfulness.
I would tend to think that those who forget are relatively new souls and are easily distracted. Many people look everywhere for something and simply can't find it. Relationships don't do it, money doesn't do it, family doesn't do it, career doesn't do it. Nothing seems to fill that void. Often this leads to deep depression or religious fanaticism.
I definately agree that people are comforted by their lies and that intentions are rarely pure or honest. Knowing this we can seek to change it and move to a higher state of being. The fact that people are dishonest does not make the spiritual path less valid, it is simply one of many pitfalls on the road to keep you from getting to where you need to go.
