Wants. Needs. Desires if you will.

We no longer differentiate what we want from what we need.

To expand and explain. I have £500 watch. (Its not worth £500 now but it was when I bought it) It’s the most “Luxury” thing I own. I need to tell the time. I wanted a good looking watch. I desired a Swiss watch because it was grown up’s watch and “MANLY” but I knew I didn’t need a Swiss watch. I knew I didn’t even need a watch because we are surrounded by clocks. Clocks on walls, on phones, on billboards, on screens. I could go without a watch quite easily never mind going without a Swiss watch.

Even then my mothers voice in my head made me buy a discontinued watch on a discount from a second tier watch maker rather than a bling-bling name. I wear it because it feels reassuring to wear something solid and well built rather than plastic-y. Even after all that I don’t wear a months salary on my watch and don’t wear gold on my fingers. Indeed Its asceticism in spirit if not in deed.

If you confuse your needs with your wants and desires you are are a slave to your ego.

We live in a world where no-one thinks they have enough.

Those “without” – think they need what they haven’t got. They are right.
Those “with” – think they need something better than that which they already have. Therein lies the problem. There is enough to go around but those “with” don’t share because they can’t tell their needs from their desires.

People need food. Certain heartless politicians will tell you that they don’t need to eat lobster or have refrigerators. Needs are absolute, the means to satisfying them change over time. Lobster used to be the garbage bottom feeder fish that was thrown at the slaves to eat and now its on the top table and the slave descendants are queuing up for (Processed) beef.

I went Sunday without eating for my own reasons, practical and spiritual. I had a meal of vegetables Saturday evening and ate nothing till this afternoon on Monday when I broke down and had myself a big fat tuna pizza.

24 hours on tea, water and protein shakes. You know you’re hungry when you’re watching Bear Gryll’s on TV and the wild animal he’s skinning looks good.

I was out walking and it occurred to me that there was last thing I owned which I could make do without and it was my watch. I was passing by a pawnbroker and went it on a whim to sell it. I would have to but their “watch” guy was out of office for the long weekend. But it’s a nice feeling of clarity to know I’m not attached to the watch on my wrist.

A guy told me one time, “Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.”