Need, want and greed! Money and Love!

Do we know the difference between what we need and what we want?

Needs point out to something you must have for survival. Wants refer to something which is good to have, but not essential for survival. Needs are basic. Wants go beyond the basic needs! Need is a necessity! Wants are desires! Wants change from time to time! Human wants are unlimited while the means to satisfy those wants are limited!

Air to breathe, Food to eat, water to drink, clothing to cover yourself, sleep, and a roof over the head and medical care are basic needs! Need is basic requirement! Need is happiness; want is pleasure. Need is to forgive and get over it; want is a revenge. Need is to be accepted; want is to be appreciated. Need is to be loved; Passion is a want. Food is a need and a desert is a want!

Want is a form of crave, an oversized like or a lust! Human wants are said to be insatiable, that is unlimited. A Constant striving for more driven by genuine needs and wants, is greed? Wants are things that you desire but can live without, while needs are essential requirements that are necessary for your survival and well-being.

What is the difference between needs and wants? Matshona Dhliwayo

“Water you need, alcohol you want.

Fruits you need, candy you want.

Food you need, deserts are you wants.

Medicine you need, drugs you want.

Health you need, wealth you want.

Rest you need, entertainment you want.

Peace you need, pleasure you want.

Fulfillment you need, excitement you want.

Satisfaction you need, feast you want.

Contentment you need, riches you want.

Necessities you need, possessions you want.

Love you need, sex you want.

Respect you need, attention you want.

Acknowledgement you need, fame you want.

Discipline you need, positions you want.

Character you need, titles you want.

Truth you need, flattery you want.

Facts you need, appreciation you want.

Confidence you need, ego you want.

Self-worth you need, arrogance you want.

Family you need, acquaintances you want.

Companions you need, servants you want.

Friends you need, lackeys you want.

Spirituality you need, religion you want.

Charity you need, tradition you want.

Nature you need, technology you want.

Creation you need, science you want.

God you need, the world you want.”

You need love! From whom is your want!

Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs!

Five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.

1. Physiological needs are biological requirements for human survival, e.g., air, food, drink, shelter, clothing, warmth, sex, and sleep. The human body cannot function optimally if physiological needs are not satisfied. Maslow considered physiological needs the most important as all the other needs become secondary until these needs are met.

2. Safety needs — people want to experience order, predictability, and control in their lives. Fulfilled by the family and society. Emotional security, financial security (e.g., employment, social welfare), law and order, freedom from fear, social stability, property, health, and wellbeing.

3. Love and a sense belonging refers to a human emotional need for interpersonal relationships, affection, connectedness, and togetherness, intimacy, trust, acceptance and love.

4. Self Esteem and respect are the fourth level in Maslow’s hierarchy and include self-worth, accomplishment, Appreciation, Recognition and achievements!

5. To be the best or even better than the best, rise to your full potential, morally, ethically and intellectually!

Greed is an insatiable desire for material gain or social value, such as status, or power. Greed has been identified as undesirable throughout known human history because it creates behavioral conflicts… Greed is like a termite. It’s out of sight but boring deep into our hearts. It doesn’t attract attention as it eats away at our ability to be generous. Greed is often aligned with envy!

The greedy trusts money rather than God with his future drives him to ignore the needs of other people. He feels his first responsibility is to amass enough assets to secure what he assumes will be a safe future. The greedy trusts money rather than God with his future drives him to ignore the needs of other people. He feels his first responsibility is to amass enough assets to secure what he assumes will be a safe future.

Generosity comes from your possessions, but you will often find greed lurking in the shadows.

Greed is a desire for more than what is necessary or reasonable. It’s a constant craving for more possessions, status, power, or wealth. Greed is insatiable, always seeking more, even at the expense of others. The problem arises when we start confusing our wants with our needs. We convince ourselves that we need the latest iPhone or designer clothing to be happy, even though these things have nothing to do with our basic survival needs. This confusion leads to a constant sense of dissatisfaction and emptiness, as we always feel like we need more to be fulfilled.

Greed has a profound impact on our lives and our society. When we are consumed by our desire for more, we become disconnected from our true selves and our relationships with others. We become isolated and self-centered, seeing the world only through the lens of our own desires. Greed also creates a cycle of perpetual dissatisfaction. No matter how much we accumulate, it’s never enough. We always want more, and this endless pursuit of material possessions can lead to debt, financial instability, and stress.

Furthermore, greed often comes at the expense of others. When we prioritize our own desires over the well-being of others, we contribute to a culture of inequality, injustice, and exploitation. The pursuit of profit at all costs can lead to environmental destruction, labor abuses, and other forms of harm. Cultivate a sense of gratitude for what we already have. Instead of constantly focusing on what we lack, we can appreciate the simple joys of life, such as spending time with loved ones or enjoying nature.

Another key to finding balance is to shift our focus from material possessions to experiences. Studies have shown that people who spend their money on experiences, such as travel, concerts, or classes, are happier and more fulfilled than those who prioritize material possessions. Cultivate a sense of generosity and compassion for others. By recognizing the interconnectedness of all beings and seeking to contribute to the well-being of others, we can break free from the narrow confines of greed and find meaning and purpose in our lives.

It’s important to be honest with yourself about what you truly need for your survival and well-being versus what you want out of desire or envy. Take some time to reflect on what you prioritize in life and whether these things align with your core values and beliefs. It’s also helpful to seek the input of trusted friends or family members who can offer a different perspective.

Ambition and drive can be positive forces when channeled in a productive and ethical way. The key is to balance these qualities with a sense of compassion and awareness of the impact our actions have on others and the world around us.

Love and money are two extremely complex subjects in their own right. When they’re mixed haphazardly, it could be a recipe for disaster. Money and love, is the glue that keeps lives together. Money symbolizes security and happiness.

Love gives us the assurance that we are not alone in the world. Without love, everything you do seems meaningless. Without love, you will live empty inside. Without love, you will feel like you are incomplete. More importantly, there will be no one to celebrate with you even if you are rich and have all the money in the world. Does this make love the more important than money?

Money is important, but not the most important, because it is tangible. At heart we always crave for the intangibles — God, Grace, Devotion, Blessings, love, satisfaction, praise, liberation, pleasure, fragrance, oxygen etc. Things desired but difficult to get are precious. That which is ultimately sought after, yet remains beyond reach, beyond actual touch, that which could only be felt is invaluable. E.g. — Oxygen!

Money- what it can and what it cannot!

Money can buy you medicine and not Health. Money can buy you amusement but not happiness! Money can buy you books but not wisdom. Money can buy you a bed but not sleep. Money can buy you food but not the Appetite. Money can buy you a companion but not a friend. Money can buy you a house but not a home. Money can buy adulation but not respect. Money can buy services, but not loyalty. Money can buy flattery, but not self-esteem. Money can buy designer clothes but not the inner beauty. Money can buy an expensive watch and not the Time! Money can buy jokes but not a sense of Humor.

Bottom line: It is good to have money and the things that it can buy, but it’s good too, to check up once in a while and make sure you haven’t lost out on the things money can’t buy.

Money talks

The adage-Money makes the world go round is more than true. When you have Money with you, you forget who you are! When you do not have money, others forget who you are! Money Is the Megaphone to Identity! Money gives you power, dignity and honor. Money by itself is neither good nor bad. Usage of money makes it good or bad. Choice is yours; Money is just a tool.

We lose our health to make money and then lose money to restore the health. We live as if we will never die and die as if we never lived. The want for more never ends. Everyone dies, but almost no one really lives. Money can never be the ‘be all and end all of life’. So is everything else! Life is more important!

Having lots of money can be like being high on drugs. It can make you feel powerful and giddy. It makes you feel invincible. Money makes us feel that we’re better and more important than we really are. Money fattens our ago! It has power to bring people together and also tear them apart.

You can’t escape money — the more you chase the more you get it! The more you get the more you want! Money is rightly said- is an Aphrodisiac! Money is not acknowledged and appreciated the way it should be. Human lives are a tragic enclave of contrasts. There seems to be a statistical disconnect between money and happiness.

If you are able to enjoy what matters- love, relationship, compassion and empathy, which is what money can’t buy, Money is secondary! Once we escape the trap of poverty, levels of wealth have an extremely modest impact on levels of happiness. The central assumption of modern society is- more money equals more pleasure. We’ve been led to believe that dollar is a delight and the currency rules!

To go after money is greed. To have money and flaunt it is vulgar! To spend it is reckless! But giving it to others in need is dharma and takes you straight to god! In practice there is grudging but overwhelming admiration for those who make lot of money. Society envies you! If you have In addition, good qualities it adores you.

Healthy, wealthy and may be- wise! This is no package!

Wealth is an enabler, a catalyst and even validates of your wisdom. The beauty of the wisdom is that it belongs to you forever. Look around you: There is abundance of ignorance!

The very notion of ultimate wealth is fallacious and misconceived.

When you are battling poverty, money is the ultimate wealth.

When you are sick, immunity and health is the ultimate wealth.

If you are lonely, love is the wealth you need.

There’s something inherently disturbing about thinking of wealth as obscene. For, such a perspective not only limits our understanding of one of the most important and powerful criteria of human progress. A lot of women prefer to marry rich men. They prefer a husband who earns more than they can spend.