Want-BASED Life or Need-BASED Life - Economics and Personal Philosophies

sharkin

sharkin

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The topic aims to be critical in conversation of personal finance, resources, and consumerism. I always seem to have the same takeaways, thinking of how many people live in a want based world, where they spend what they earn on a dream. I think it's a quick construct of work for reward, but it only focuses on the short side of things. A desire for immediate gratification catches the blame. On the converse, the move to a need-based lifestyle is something anyone and everyone can benefit from. A permanent structure of your goals, focusing on necessary artifacts to the structure rather than placeholders as the goals are adjusted. Self reflection would be the beginning of such a move, to map out one's needs and wants in respect to the costliness of them to you as an individual. Everyone's priorities are different, so this can not be a rigid list, though some needs are categorically higher than others, like thirst over hunger, etc. An interesting thing about priorities though, is they often are what they are. If you don't value something and it does not directly effect you in an opposing value, it will likely not be a high priority. A quick example could be having multiples of a shoe you don't need and 0 of a shoe you do need, based on the results of introspection of your total lifestyle.

Not trying to preach anything, but thought it would be interesting to see people's opinions on this and where you find the balance for your own lifestyle. This isn't so much about cancelling desires from your life, but more so adjusting the appropriation of your resources to maximize the effectiveness of achieving controlled desire.

Any thoughts?
 
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can someone expand on the concept of "instant gratification" related to material things?

i can understand it in carnal and sensation-based experiences but i never understood it terms of material possessions...i try to approach purchases from utility and longevity aspects...
 
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i think it's as simple as see -> want -> buy

there's a nested value judgement, or rather several value judgements based on their priorities.

you could list off reasons that would motivate a person to act. anything is fair game in that respect, but i would assume instant gratification would be the process of making quick value judgements on objects of carnal desire to satisfy any number of those reasons

At Time X, I consider motivating reasons A, B, C and act.

At Time X+1, I only consider A and B, as C no longer holds value to me, I do not act.

Instant gratification would occur if I acted at time X, as I did not fully evaluate my motivating reasons as they may evolve over the lifetime of the object. At null, I am without action, so the need based lifestyle would aim to establish motivating reasons that remain constant before action.

This is largely the ethical branch of philosophy known as action theory developed from the foundation of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics
 
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Our desires fuel our work ethic. The competition for material wealth allows society the most efficient means for progression. Come at me.
 
Desire is more complex than that though.

There needs to be a system of beliefs or value judgements one has in order to create a desire that is a motivating reason to act.

I have plenty of desires that I do not act on, and do not make progression to act on. Mostly because I place greater value on another desire that would be directly obstructed by the fullfillment of the desire I do not act upon.

I think it would be more appropriate to say the balance of our desires is our work ethic.

If beliefs and value judgements are set as constant, desire is constant, and work ethic is constant. That is the progression towards realizing a goal, be it material wealth or anything else.
 
sharkin said:
Desire is more complex than that though.

There needs to be a system of beliefs or value judgements one has in order to create a desire that is a motivating reason to act.

I have plenty of desires that I do not act on, and do not make progression to act on. Mostly because I place greater value on another desire that would be directly obstructed by the fullfillment of the desire I do not act upon.


I think it would be more appropriate to say the balance of our desires is our work ethic.

If beliefs and value judgements are set as constant, desire is constant, and work ethic is constant. That is the progression towards realizing a goal, be it material wealth or anything else.
Click to expand...

Not acting on your desires is stagnant. However an individual prioritizes their desires is irrelevant on a grand scale. If you are acting on them, you are contributing to society, for better or worse. If you repress them, all of them, you go nowhere, get nothing.

Acquiring money is first and foremost, without it you can't fulfill needs or desires. At the end of the day you are required to contribute to obtain money. You can stop at fulfilling your own needs, or you can continue contributing to fulfill your desires. The more people that go beyond their individual needs, and chase their desires, the more progress for society as a whole.

Now the belief system you speak of....From the time you are old enough to comprehend language you are inundated from every angle with multi-billion dollar marketing campaigns teaching you what your desires are or should be. Teaching you what success looks like, what is appropriate to desire.

The desire for money is key because it wraps need based and want based lifestyles in to one neat set of efforts and actions.

Progress is people figuring out how to do more to get more.
 
FrankMatthews said:
sharkin said:
Desire is more complex than that though.

There needs to be a system of beliefs or value judgements one has in order to create a desire that is a motivating reason to act.

I have plenty of desires that I do not act on, and do not make progression to act on. Mostly because I place greater value on another desire that would be directly obstructed by the fullfillment of the desire I do not act upon.


I think it would be more appropriate to say the balance of our desires is our work ethic.

If beliefs and value judgements are set as constant, desire is constant, and work ethic is constant. That is the progression towards realizing a goal, be it material wealth or anything else.
Click to expand...

Not acting on your desires is stagnant. However an individual prioritizes their desires is irrelevant on a grand scale. If you are acting on them, you are contributing to society, for better or worse. If you repress them, all of them, you go nowhere, get nothing.

Acquiring money is first and foremost, without it you can't fulfill needs or desires. At the end of the day you are required to contribute to obtain money. You can stop at fulfilling your own needs, or you can continue contributing to fulfill your desires. [COLOR=#red]The more people that go beyond their individual needs, and chase their desires, the more progress for society as a whole. [/COLOR]

Now the belief system you speak of....From the time you are old enough to comprehend language you are inundated from every angle with multi-billion dollar marketing campaigns teaching you what your desires are or should be. Teaching you what success looks like, what is appropriate to desire.

The desire for money is key because it wraps need based and want based lifestyles in to one neat set of efforts and actions.

Progress is people figuring out how to do more to get more.
Click to expand...




You seriously believe that?



...
 
Individuality ain't **** without purpose. My kids motivate me. If it wasn't for them I'd be one grimey *** mf with my middle finger out ...
 
offbad said:
 
Click to expand...
Came in for the gawd left disappoint. 
mean.gif
 
FrankMatthews said:
Not acting on your desires is stagnant. However an individual prioritizes their desires is irrelevant on a grand scale. If you are acting on them, you are contributing to society, for better or worse. If you repress them, all of them, you go nowhere, get nothing.

Acquiring money is first and foremost, without it you can't fulfill needs or desires. At the end of the day you are required to contribute to obtain money. You can stop at fulfilling your own needs, or you can continue contributing to fulfill your desires. The more people that go beyond their individual needs, and chase their desires, the more progress for society as a whole.

Now the belief system you speak of....From the time you are old enough to comprehend language you are inundated from every angle with multi-billion dollar marketing campaigns teaching you what your desires are or should be. Teaching you what success looks like, what is appropriate to desire.

The desire for money is key because it wraps need based and want based lifestyles in to one neat set of efforts and actions.

Progress is people figuring out how to do more to get more.
Click to expand...

I see where you're coming from. I think our views are compatible for the most part. I can clearly see that multiple individuals acting on desires can benefit as a whole, but they can also be harmed by an individual's actions. I'm not too concerned about the community, but rather the individual, and his balance of desire and need. I like your second to last paragraph. The action of that desires sounds like work ethic.
 
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