Liba Hopeson, BTC
Sometimes, I go to market because my friends who want to purchase things called me, but I bought more things than them. But sometimes, I called my friends to go with me to market because I want to purchase things, but they purchase more than me. At times, thinking of it, we wonder and laugh at ourselves, though it’s absurd. Did it happen because we are more concerned about wants, not needs? Such incidents pushed me to think and reason about wants and needs.
After the dawn of the Sixth Pay Commission, the magnitude of the wave of change in human lifestyle is, in fact, enormous. As I hear people talk about this commission, many have misconceptions or have understood it wrongly, and hence, we witness impaired impact. The value of money is drastically changed as the price of almost all commodities is escalating. Many sell goods at exorbitant price, which makes life expensive and hard, particularly the poor and the needy. In this present scenario, I am sure; many have fussy concepts about ‘wants’ and ‘needs’.
The phrase, “human wants are unlimited” is really true to me. Imagine! The millionaires and billionaires want to accumulate more and more wealth, while, on the other side, thousands wrestle life without enough food and proper shelter. In words, we may say, if I have daily food or needs it’s enough or fine for me, but in reality, we are not contented with what we have. Many persons who used simple mobile phones before are using new and expensive ones today. And many who used desktop have laptops today. Needless to mention, many are dreaming to purchase vehicle, though it is not disclosed or shared openly. Here, I don’t mean to remark that all these things are futile, but it is befitting for us to analyze what are wants and needs.
As a college student, after vacation, I do go back to college from home like others with some amount of money. Thanks to our parents for their great concern and love for children! Interestingly, right after we are back from holidays, the shops in the market are alive with our college students, adding a big smile to the shopkeepers. But, the students would haggle nicely even for a small thing, not because they are thrifty or economical, but to save money in order to purchase more things. Seemingly, unsolicited heavy shopping is done for few days, oblivion of the danger of emptying pocket and wallet. So, I question, do we (our students) purchase what we need only or we also buy what we want. I don’t mean to say we have to be niggardly, or being mingy is good. But, of late, I begin to realize that we are too extravagant sometime, which ultimately affect us immensely. One good lesson I can learn from my own college is that, those of us who were lavish on the arrival time have to borrow money from loving friends after few days and weeks, or so, which is a pathetic act. Moreover, interestingly, I have seen many friends grabbing things from shops, including top-ups and sms packs with credit. And, it is not a wonder or surprise that, in times of hunger, students grumbles for lack of money. Nevertheless, after every vacation, we are sure to be rich for few days and squander our money handed to us by our loving parents. Do you think we don’t need to distinguish between wants and needs in this topsy-turvy world, which has 7th billion plus population? Do we think we have to do everything others do? The writer opines that, at this critical juncture, learning to be thrifty, though not parsimonious, is the need of the hour.
I have just cited an example from my college which all of us can take it to heart and contemplate. But in a greater view, we have a lot to learn. Undeniably, many are lavish when they get salary or receive a huge amount of money from somewhere. The failure of making budget makes us forget to pay for our Master who provides all our needs. When we fail to give tithe to God, we cover up our mistake by making certain excuses, saying, we have bought what we need, actually though, some were wants. And to my surprise, I learn that, some parents who were extravagant in buying clothes and food, grimly and flatly refuse their children, when they demand the basic needs such as pen and note books. Perhaps, their utter extravagancy punished them that leave them vexed and restless, which ultimately kill their conscience to provide the basic things to their children. Being profligate or extravagant in wants and penny-pinching in basic needs is a big blunder which should be seriously pondered and rectified. When we talk about wants and needs, it is worth considering our status and profession. A thing which is a need for someone could be a want for others. For instance, for a computer engineering student, laptop is a need, but it could be a want for others. Though a thing is useful, but if it is not a ‘must’, or if it is unaffordable, it could be want. I feel that, in these subjects, comparisons can generate confusions. Therefore, everybody has to know oneself.
In this globalized world, consumers are greatly breaking the backbones of producers and manufacturers. To meet the needs of burgeoning population of the world is a great challenge today. Since there is a wide discrepancy between the producers and the consumers, the price of commodities is rapidly soaring. We often malign the businessmen and women for selling things at costly price. But, if we consider meticulously, to a great extent, consumers push them up or encourage them to do so. We keep on purchasing what we want, so the sellers take the advantage of increasing the price of goods, with the notion that we will surely buy. I realized that it would be good if we list out the things at home we want to purchase and go to market, purchase what we have listed out and come back. It is high time to deeply ponder about wants and needs, and change our way of life by knowing ourselves. I deem it fitting to analyze these subjects and be a catalyst for change, lest we suffer and groan after the dawn of the Seventh Pay Commission, that awaits us with a different style. God loves to provide our needs, but we take our wants as needs. So, if we don’t want to give attention in this matter, we are always bound to go wrong. When wants are accounted as needs, the door of ‘tension’ and ‘headache’ is wide open. Remember! Human wants are unlimited! Check your blood daily!
