Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Needs v Wants?

"People actually know what they NEED and just fool themselves into thinking that what they WANT is a necessity".

Think about that statement. Think about how many of your problems stem from you mistaking a “want” for a “need.”

I've reasoned that our “
wants” are tied to short term, immediate desires while "needs" relate to our environment and long-term goals. Of course the two can overlap, but generally speaking, wants and needs are distinctly separate. We as humans tend to over-value the present and undervalue the future, making it seem almost logical to consider an immediate want more important than a distant need."


Thus blogged Musecatto . I think he may be heading towards the philosophy suggested herebelow but Dr A thinks the distinction between 'want' and 'need' is not so easy to determine. There are things (wants) available at the moment which should be taken before they disappear. And also to-day's want may turn out to be tomorrow's need. How would you know?

How you assess your future as a musician, MC, will drive your wants and needs now. Statistically you are probably not much cop as a musician, but to find out is a big need, and to focus efforts on this is important to avoid regret later.

Anyway education is your big need now, and home (as in your parents' place) while unlikely to be the best environment for making the most of yourself as a person and musician, it may be the best option for now. What Dr A is saying is 'get the hell out soon and show your gratitude to your parents by succeeding in your ambitions.

*hi* ! I should change my name to Aunty Awsom. And make a charge as well. Like my blog eh, Musecatto? Are you an OP or an EP? Leave some proper comments somewhere! (Extraordinary Person)

Corfubob says thanks, and go well, keep in touch.

7 comments:

  1. What about when wants and needs overlap.

    I want to live to tomorrow; I need to survive.

    I want to have sex; I have a biological imperative to procreate (a need)

    On a long enough timeline everyone's lifetime drops to 0; as such there's not a whole lot of point trying to live a life based on firmly separated needs and wants, necessity and desire become kind of blurry when you look at life as relative.

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  2. What do you say Musecatto? Like GFHP says, neeeds and wants are relative. Some people 'need' their yacht and several homes. Need and Greed are ideas worth thinking about as well.

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  3. Wants will overlap with needs at times - that's inevitable. In those cases, there's no issue, nothing to discuss. I also accept the fact that there are certain given needs we have as humans based in biology & the need to survive.

    The "needs" that our "wants" conflict with, however, are those connected to personal end goals & destiny. These are needs that we adopt for ourselves and strive for over time. ... haha, my mind just got taken in a new direction!

    Maybe "Needs" are in reality the stepping stones to achieving our goals and wants. Examples: I want to live a long life, so I need to eat healthy. I want to be a musician so I need to practice and educate myself. Every WANT has a string of NEEDS you must fulfill in order to attain it. So what's the issue: It's just in our pursuit of one goal (fulfilling the prerequisite needs), we'll look around and see a different "want/goal" and jump ship for the greener pastures. Looking at "wants" is always a better view than focusing on"needs." Maybe I'll create a new entry with my revised view.

    I hope this made sense.

    And thanks for the entry Dr. A - it was a welcomed surprise.

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  4. I totally agree with you, you are right

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  5. The thing about need is it does not need any introduction. The body or the mind acts spontaneously when a need arrives: I need a drink, I need to sleep, I need to apologies.

    I watched children grow up without need to use this word 'want'. In fact, we ask them, "would you like a candy?", "do you want to come and play with my daughter?", "What do you want to do today?" We give choices and choices create want, not need. When I showed them just a candy, it is only candy they can have. When I showed them candies in a bowl, I found myself asking, "Which one do you want?"

    To address a need, bring in scarcity not abundance. Less can be better. If you enter the a 5-star hotel room, you will not get ten bath towels but 2, not ten bedsheets, but only one spread beautifully on the bed ready for you. Why is that? Because it addresses the need not want. Yet, it is a 5 star hotel, may even cost $1,000 per night (like the Raffles Hotel) but everything is served with simplicity.

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  6. Thanks Annie, We say 'I need a drink' when our diseased liver is thinking otherwise, but can't say it. But yours is a strong point; needs introduce themselves. Even the English language 'feels the need', it doesn't 'feel the want'

    Sadly, WANTS have a louder voice when most of the needs have been met.

    Does the world NEED 5* hotels? Dr A says " Not only does the world NOT need 5*hotels, but the greedy bastards who want them are spitting at the really poor, perhaps only a few blocks away,(or in the neighbouring country) who do not have clean water in their houses or toys for their children."

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  7. Oi! GFHP (above) "I have a biological imperative to procreate (a need)" Nature NEEDS procreation to survive, you just WANT to get your end away without having a nice little baby to play with afterwards. That told 'im eh, Senka?

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