Want vs Need

     My boys have been earning a little money this summer working for a friend and doing a few odd jobs.  Like many teenagers, they are thrilled to have money in the bank and even more thrilled to have money in their pockets!  Sadly, like most teenagers, that thrill too often results in the disappearance of said money in their pockets or in their banks. "Where did the money go?" I ask.  The answer almost invariably proves they have no clue the difference between want and need. 

      Ah, yet another concept to be modeled and taught by parents.  And, another concept that society's habit seems to be in opposition to what I am trying to teach. When you have money in your pocket and you are thirsty it is tempting to think you need to buy a gatorade or energy drink or soda. The idea of waiting 5 minutes until you are home and can get a glass of water [or even pour a glass from the gatorade in the frig] seems ridiculous.  When the Old Spice man on tv seems to promise all kinds of rewards for using Old Spice it is tough to teach the difference between needing deodorant and wanting Old Spice. And then there is technology.  I now recognize that today's teens may need a cell phone.  However the difference between a cell phone they need and the models they want is huge.

     Philosophically I admit to being occasionally challenged by wants.  I needed a kitchen, but I took a deep breath and splurged big time for the kind of kitchen I have always wanted. And the bottom line is that the makeshift kitchen I had used for 20 years probably would have lasted another 20 [or until I sold the house to someone who would immediately replace it]. So maybe even that I did not truly need. I want a swimming pool desperately [especially in this summer's heat!]. But, even if I would use one, I certainly don't need one. I probably will never have one. That is not too hard for me.  What is more difficult is when I look at the size of my house, the furniture in it, etc. and realize that although I have little new furniture anywhere in my house, I have far more things than many and more than I truly need. And books... I love my shelf after shelf of books.  They are dear to me. But do I really need them? 

     I sometimes wonder if we could not cure most of the homelessness, the poverty, the need for foster homes, etc. if as a nation we could choose better between what we want and what we need.  We could make do with much less and share much more. Space, things, food, love. My cynical friends tell me our economy would completely collapse if people stopped buying what they want and bought only what they need. Maybe it's true. In the meantime I  will go back to trying to explain to my guys why they do not need that new phone with that new gadget, or that new whatever they want today.