In certain conversations, there are plenty of people, that will tell you all about the things that they “need” – without really understanding that in a lot of instances what they really need seems to reflect more what they really desire, instead. There is a distinct difference between our needs, such as food, water, shelter, free will, independent thought, and the right to be about our business – as compared to desires, such as to have a really nice home, a comfortable life, a nice car, a satisfying job, good social status, as well as us wanting plenty of other various material things. So then, desires and needs are not the same thing, of which, it is important that in our governance, that our legislators make it a point to focus upon helping to provide us with or secure for us, those vital things which represent our needs, and hence, leave that which are actually desires, to our own volition and responsibility.
A person’s reach should exceed their grasp, for it is in the trying that we are best able to accomplish those things which are of importance to us. Yet, fundamentally, what we are so often reaching out for, is typically our desires, which perhaps we have re-configured as representing our needs, thereby leading to a lot of people suffering from the inevitable frustration when they don’t have all of their desires met to their lasting satisfaction. Rather, the first order of business in life, is to see that our needs are being met – and then, after that, to go after our desires, to our heart’s content.
So then, a lot of the troubles that people experience in life, has often a lot to do with confusing one’s desires with one’s needs, and therefore, because people aren’t getting what they claim that they must have, they then are susceptible to taking actions or making decisions which may have damaging aspects within them, such as in those that overspend on unnecessary but desirable material things, perhaps because they feel that in order to maintain their social status or its equivalency, that this is pretty much mandated for them to do; forgetting though that monies spent for that which is desirable, but not really needed, can play havoc upon a person’s budget as well as impacting negatively monies so needed, for those necessary things.
Indeed, when people take the time to truly reflect upon their lives, and thereby are honest with themselves, they will thus find that the confusion between desires and needs is something that they need to forthrightly address – especially in the recognition that commercial enterprises along with the advertising that they utilize is structured to entice consumers, of which, these companies are very good at exploiting the vulnerabilities that so many of us are vulnerable to. That is why, it’s important to understand that our first order of business is to concentrate upon seeing that our real needs are met, and understanding then that while desires have their place, we shouldn’t though permit those desires to overtake our good common sense, leading thus to our own destruction or regret.