February 2009 - WANT: The perspective of want

Is want rather black and white?

Can what I want be the same as what you want as well as what they want?

At times these may be true. Most times,I would bet, they are not. In fact, I propose that most times what any of us want is situational.

Situational? How can that be?
Want are wants.
Needs are needs.

Wait, as we previous discussed, wants and needs can be different.

What a small child wants is different from what that child's parents want.
What a Wall Street banker wants is different from what your local janitor wants.
What Dubai's richest want is different from what those dying in Dafur want.
And so it is around the globe.

Each of us have a different perspective on what we want or dare I say even what a want truly is to each of us.

I was reminded of the perspective of want by someone I met recently via the NaBloPoMo site. She reminded me that wants and the perspective on what you have can be adjusted by your experiences.

In a news report on the Rachel Maddow show, Rachel mentions that the recent winter storm in Kentucky destroyed electrical power to a large population. Another very much smaller Kentucky population is helping those in need. That smaller population is the 8500 or so Amish in the area. They, of course, live without most of the modern wants which we take for granted as needs. As an example of the perspective of want, the de-electrified Kentuckians were devastated (although coping rather well), while the Amish folk were most likely viewing the the storm as yet another cold spell.

As another example, my parents lived through the First Great Depression (FGD) here in the United States. They were farmers, although during the depression they had many different jobs in addition to raising and selling produce. They did commercial fishing, delivered ice and coal, hauled shipments via truck, did carpentry and raised animals. For them, the FGD was definitely a lifestyle change. However, they never went hungry nor did without what they needed. In fact when you talked with them, their vocabulary seemed to avoid the words associated with want rather they conversation would speak of needs. Their entire vocabulary was adjusted because of the Depression experience.

These and so many other examples, even in your own life, demonstrate the "perspective of want".

As is the case with so many things, wants are adjusted by our history, education, location, beliefs and the current situation.

Perhaps it would help us all to remember that there is a "perspective of want".

Let me know what is your perspective.
Cheers.