What is your definition of "needs" and "wants"

[SourRoses]

Well.. in truth...
You don't even need air.
We want it. Yep.
We know if we don't get it, we wont live. But that's a choice too. A want, to live.
So... everything is a want... some wants I could do without... some I must have to not want to cease with the air.

Want & Must have -
Spaghetti.
Fried chicken.
Air.
Water.
Chocolate.
Soap, alot of soap.
At least one baby animal. Another when it grows.
Flowers.
God.


Want, in a less necessary way -
Books.
A large variety of baby and grown animals.
Big garden.
Ranch dressing to go with the fried chicken.
Curly fries to go with the chicken.
Hot water to go with the soap.
Pretty and functional places for the baby and grown animals to live.
Soda.
Comfortable clothes, blankets, sheets and a soft bed.
Computer to access BYC.
Big, huge, beautiful property.
Big, lovely, comfortable house.
Big family with lots of kids, girls. In little princess dresses.
Hubbie who takes out the garbage and does the dishes (necessary for the role).
Horses.
Airplane.
More soap... never forget about the soap.
Chinese & Thai food.
Ice cream.
Parmesan to go on my spaghetti.
Garlic & extra sauce pizza.

 

[dkvart1]

For the majority of our time on this planet humans were hunter gatherers and were actually quite healthy. Agriculture actually contributed to the outbreak of numerous diseases (domesticating animals which exposed us to more disease, the births of towns, which placed more people in closer proximity to one another, etc), poorer nutrition overall as our diets became based around grains and due to becoming tied to one spot to grow crops vitamin deficiencies developed, the farmers became shorter than the hunter gatherers, developed tooth decay due to lack of vitamins, etc.

Hunter gatherers didn't have to work "jobs", had more time to spend with their close knit families and suffered less stress overall. Their lifestyle helped control overpopulation and didn't devestate nature resources. Everything that came after altered the environment and generally created more problems than it solved and continues to do so.

We have become very spoiled due to all the modern "conveniences" we've been sold on and now we see them more as needs than wants. I have to agree with the posters that say our needs are actually minimal, food, water, shelter, clothing. Nature provided us not only with the bounty of various foods but natural medicines, plants that could be used to cleanse our bodies and be woven into material... but as humans we always think something we create is "better".

Because we can never return to the hunter gatherer clans (as we've quite successfully restructured the world with our technology) it's good to see so many people wanting to return to producing their own food, spinning wool, weaving, etc. because in truth no one can foretell what the future will hold and it may well become necessary for our own survival to know these skills. And even if nothing horrible happens, it never hurts to live more simply and walk a little more softly upon our planet.

Just reread this post... seems kinda ominious... sorry about that, but I'll let it stand.

 

[hikerchick]

I love the modern world and all the toys and conveniences it has to offer. I PRAY that we never go back to a "needs only" lifestyle. It sounds grim and joyless.

I just hope it never comes to that. I will not fare well, I admit it. No pizza delivery? Yikes.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Don't think I have ever had food delivered in my life... Not even pizza.

 

[hikerchick]

I get all sorts of stuff delivered. Sushi, Thai, sandwiches, soups, etc.

I don't do it every week, but sometimes after a long day at work, I just don't feel like cooking and messing up my kitchen. I get tired.

 

[LittleChickenLady]

Quote:
I live in a neighborhood not far from town, so we're kind of on the outskirts of town I guess, and we can't get pizza delivery. But the place where we go has carryout cards, that whenever you pick up a pizza you get this card stamped, and if you fill it up (which only takes ten times) you get a free pizza. Plus, if you order online you get points, and after a certain amount of points, you get a free pizza! So we order online and get our card stamped, which means double free pizzas!

But seriously. Water, food, and shelter are the only things we really need to survive. Period. Even clothing is a want, because you don't need it to survive, people just don't want to run around naked.

 

[hikerchick]

Quote:
and I don't want them to.

 

[PineappleMama]

Quote:
...and water!

Food & Water... plus shelter from elements/predators and that's the sum total of NEEDS technically.

I also firmly believe I NEED clothing, even in nice predator free areas... just 'cuz I'm a clutz and I like my parts how and where they are... even if they aren't all exactly where they used to be...

Soap is another NEED in my opinion, because being able to properly wash does have a direct effect on one's health... but it's not a true need since most the cleaning (aka dumping of cooties) is just from the water flushing over the skin anyways... I'd love to have it, but imagine I could survive without... until my fumes killed me that is.

Need some sort of blade as well, and/or projectile... blade can be used for prepping, eating game as well as defense... and maybe help in getting the game too, but that's tricky. Guns are good for killing, but not so handy when it comes to the dressing part of the task.

Hmm... what else...

 

[Dunkopf]

Well I guess I'll throw something in to the pile.

The only thing humans need is food, water, clean air and shelter.

My original discussion with the OP had to do with how our government is spending our tax dollars.

Our personal budgets are very simple. Earn money spend less hopefully and save some for a rainy day. States budgets for the most part are the same thing. Federal budget is not the same thing. Too many variables. So the question was about what the feds need to spend vs what they want to spend. We don't live in the 18th century anymore. So old people don't automatically go live with their 18 children anymore. We don't allow poor people to live and die on the street anymore if we can help it. Health care is a need and it is a need that isn't being addressed. It will be our downfall with the staggering level of obesity and the related diseases that come with it. Defense is obviously a need but is highly overspent on because of our very corrupt campaign financing methods. Unemployment insurance is a need. It needs some serious revamping but it is still a need.

All of our so called entitlement programs are needed. They need to be better regulated but benefits need to stay where they are or increase. Our infrastructure needs a lot of work. It is in the needs category because as it fails it will affect our ability to make money and move commerce. It would also supply a lot of jobs at a time when we need them. Much like FDR did back in the depression. I know that the validity of what he did is questioned because he was a Democrat and history is being rewritten these days to exclude any good accomplishments for those people. Regardless his job programs put food on a lot of tables and kept people alive. Military spending needs to be cut per Robert Gates. Our Secretary of Defense. there is an incredible amount of waste in the DOD. Obama needs to get out his scalpel and make some of those cuts he's always talking about. Not a meat cleaver as Boehner has been instructed by his TP masters. Cuts in the way government bureaucracy is run are definitely in order. Massive waste in repetitive money wasting procedures.

Finally they need to stop giving tax cuts to wealthy people. Those tax cuts are for sure in the wants column along with all the little pet programs that our Congressmen are always putting in to major bills before they will sign off on them.

The Op requested that I comment in this section. Otherwise I would not have touched it. Too close to that 4 letter word POLITICS.

Be all that you can be.

 

[Chook-A-Holic]

Quote:
people just don't want to run around naked.

We don't? J/K

In all seriousness, besides the absolute necessities, we need each other. Folks these days have become so self centered and selfish that it's a shame. Remember the stories that our elders used to tell? They didn't have much but they had each other and great times.