Is there really a fine line between wants and needs? This topic was the center of attention and stirred up individual thoughts and feelings of many classmates. What fascinated me the most was the idea of the hierarchy of basic human needs. The three basic ingredients that sustained the human race consisted of food, water, and shelter. In order to survive, humans must satisfy those basics in order to reproduce and to stay alive. However, when those needs are fulfilled, what must we do with our time in order to avoid being bored to death and repeating everyday’s typical routines.
We must change things up a little to make life more exciting and worth living, therefore, we have to have a purpose. For example, ancient people started trading excess food and material goods with their neighbors when food was no longer a scarcity factor. In addition, people started building bigger and more sophisticated shelters such as houses with more than one door or houses with ceiling windows. Once they got that system down, humans became bored and wanted to do something else to entertain them and at the same time to give them a purpose to continue living. This is where development of the government system and waging wars with other countries come into play. Since we have everything that we needed, we want to dominate the world next by first taking over other people’s land and countries since we have nothing better to do. Centuries later, after we have successfully become well off and have dominated the world, we moved into building technology to amuse ourselves and at the same time keep us occupied. We are a race that is constantly searching for something else that we can do to kill time and to create a purpose. Moreover, why did our ancestors suddenly want more out of life? Simply because they got bored and needed reasons, goals, and purposes to feel motivated to live.
Regardless of whether we are after material goods to satisfy our wants or needs, or even after political power to rule; our desires rightfully serve as a purpose for human kind to advance. Our wants also pushes us to work harder in order to obtain the things we want in life, and that is a purpose to live and thrive. Without those feelings of wants and needs, there is no point in having a meaningful life. Therefore everyone ought to go out there and spend their hard earned cash on something they have always wanted. Or better yet, they should go out there and do something they have always want to do. Try skydiving, tak or invent something cool. What is the point in living life without pushing yourself to live life to the fullest? What is the point in living life without having wants or needs? Do yourself a favor and create a purpose in life; whether it is to become the richest person in the world, or to become the president of the United States, or even to marry your favorite celebrities. Thus, keep working on your goals and life will be more exciting and purposeful.
1 comment:
Why is skydiving always the thing that people invoke to try before they die? It seems a rather short-lived thrill. Your history of human beings as directed by boredom is fascinating, if a little chilling: do you really believe that human 'progress' is simply a matter of 'killing time'? This is compelling, but needs to be fleshed out further. If we take this seriously, wouldn't this somewhat undermine our goals to "create a purpose in life; whether it is to become the richest person in the world, or to become the president of the United States, or even to marry your favorite celebrities"—aren't these things rendered frivolous or precisely a 'waste of time' in your schema? In short, how do we take life seriously once we admit that we are just keeping the ennui at bay? You raise some startling questions in your post, but I worry that your argument ends up reifying the very matrix that you at first seem to be critiquing.
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