The Need in the Want

In the ongoing Great Debate about needs versus wants, I've seen heavy emphasis put on the ‘need’ side. This is logical as needs are of vital importance to human beings in order to exist and exist happily. However, what information might be gained if we turned our attention to the wants?

I've developed a technique for myself that was originally designed to help me feel less wistful whenever I saw something I wanted. The idea is to write down the thing I want (for example let’s use a houseboat). Then I write down the need behind the want (in this case it was fewer possessions and the ability to store and manage them all easily). Last, I write down how I could meet the need with the abilities I have (I have the ability to give things away and work to manage my storage more efficiently). The by-product of all this was uncovering the need in the want.

This concept and technique gives the power back to me, similarly to my blog about active choosing. When I've identified how I can accomplish what I really want/need, I no longer have any feelings or judgements about anything external. If I want better storage so much, I need to go ahead and make that happen! It's no one’s responsibility but mine to create what I need.

What needs might be lurking in your wants?

The Choice is Yours

The Twelfth Doctor of popular UK television show Doctor Who, played by Peter Capaldi, once said “Sometimes the only choices you have are bad ones. But you still have to choose.” This is an incredibly powerful statement, in its truth and in its connotations. There is also great power in the act of choosing.

There have been times in my life, as in every life, when I was faced with exactly this kind of choice. Where, as far as I saw at the time, and with the abilities I had then, I was limited to “bad choices”. Everything seemed to have a negative outcome, so it came down to figuring out which one resulted in the lesser amount.

It was only once I began to be aware of and utilise a certain mindset that I became able to really deal with and accept those situations and their outcomes. That mindset is about the act of choosing. Recognising that we do always have choices, that they sometimes just suck, and yet still moving forward.

Other options include refusing to choose, playing the victim of circumstance, wallowing in self pity, and blaming others. I've probably defaulted to every one of these options in the past and I do not recommend them. None of them set out a clear or short path out of the negative circumstances because they all involve delay in accepting the truth.

When we look clearly and honestly at all our options, weigh them, then take responsibility for the one we put into action, then we are closer to accepting the consequences. We know we chose the best option, even out of a detrimental selection, and it was our choice to enact it. We weren't forced. The power is 100% with us. The consequences will happen anyway, at least this way we are in charge and have the power.

What choice could you make that would empower you?

PokéBlog

There is a specific episode of Pokémon in season one of Indigo League that is remembered by many as a particularly touching example of the universe and its view of animals. In the episode, a Charmander, a fire Pokémon, is abandoned by its trainer out in the open. The main characters overhear the trainer commenting on this act of animal neglect and calling the Charmander “stupid”.

They react to this strongly partially because the information given on the Charmander is that if the flame at the tip of its tail goes out, it will die, and the area is experiencing a violent thunderstorm. After confronting the neglectful trainer, to no avail, they rush out into the, yes, dark and stormy night, to rescue the Pokémon. They are successful.

The overwhelmingly negative reaction to the situation by the main characters, who are themselves Pokémon trainers, was viewed by at least three generations of fans. The message, as I heard it, was that animals in our care are our responsibility. Further to that, they deserve our respect and caring for what they provide us.

In the case of Pokémon, it is of course a fictional world where the animals are caught or bred, then trained to engage in combat. The message is translatable to real life, however, and I believe it was heard and struck a chord with the (mostly) young viewers.

Is it any wonder vegetarianism and veganism are becoming more and more popular among the youth of the world?