Why would a person drive a Hummer?
It seems that the more we have, the more we want. It never ceases to amaze me how demand quickly outstrips supply.
Any time we desire something that is beyond our reach we think we will be satisfied with “just the basic necessities.” How many people without personal transportation say things like “If I could just have a car, any old beater, I’d be in heaven. You know, something to get me from point A to point B.” Yet when they do get that beater, how long does it take for them to long for a newer car?
hat’s the problem with many areas in our world. Build a new bridge to the city in order to accommodate the traffic requirements and more people will buy cars. Increase the number of trained physicians and people will soon increase their visits to the doctor to seek reassurance for every symptom. Double a person’s salary and see how long it takes before they feel the squeeze of limited money.
I don’t want to be preachy here. I’m as bad as the next person. It is a simple fact of human nature to try to increase your lot. Until we reach a saturation point, we will always want more. Unfortunately, before we reach that saturation point we may consume ridiculous amounts of goods, or gas, or money, or food or whatever.
The famous Benjamin Franklin quote, A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned, might be worth remembering when we face a shortage. Questioning or limiting our desires will produce the same result as accumulating more of what we want.
Here is the original English version of the March 17, 2009 column:
The handbag, the wallet, and the watch
(Source: Journal Métro, Le sac à mains, le portefeuille, et la montre... March 17, 2009)
Have you ever noticed that the bigger a purse is, the more crap it contains?
I need more!
We often have to face limits and shortages in life – not enough money, not enough time, not enough space. Regardless of the limit, our reflex is to want more of it rather than to question our need.
Fair enough. There are times when need grows and we have no choice but to expand. For example, if we have children we may need to earn more money, get a bigger vehicle, or a bigger place to live. However, expansion also has the effect of increasing the waste in life.
The handbag
Purses are great examples of this. I know one woman who has a tiny purse that is actually smaller than my wallet. Another has a giant purse that she slings over her shoulder. The shoulder strap frees her hands so she can carry her stuffed briefcase in one and a canvas bag in the other. The first woman is a lawyer. I’m not sure what the second one does but she must be really important.
The wallet
Speaking of wallets, they contain money. And who doesn’t want more of it? Typically, we think we can get by with just a little more, you know, so that we aren’t so tight at the end of the month. Unfortunately, with extra money come extra desires; “Maybe now we can finally get a bigger place, or go on a real vacation for a change, or…”
The watch
Would you like to have a twenty-five hour day so that you could spend an extra hour relaxing? I would. Of course it wouldn’t take long before we used the extra time to catch up on work, or run to the store, or perhaps even take on a part-time job to earn a little extra cash, you know, so that we wouldn’t be so tight at the end of the month.
Limiting needs
The simple answer to a shortage is to ask for more. But shortages can be good things. They force us to re-examine our needs and our priorities. They limit waste by forcing us to be efficient in the use of all resources.
Questioning whether we really need more may not be as much fun as trying to get more but it can be the secret to overcoming many of our frustrations.
Of course a few extra bucks wouldn’t hurt either.
Tagged as a penny saved is a penny earned, consumerism, time-management.
Posted in Human nature, Life.
Posted on 05 Apr 2009
