Why do we "want" things we do not need?

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Many people, I fear, live their entire life chasing after vanity, always feeling just one step away from lasting happiness. What makes us want so much junk in hope of gaining happiness? How much pride, for example, can a proud person feel, thinking it will result happiness just before overdosing on their sinful folly?

Do watching commercials cause us to want? Or are the marketers just wasting their time and money. What does it mean in modern day to sell your soul to Satan? I believe there is a strong motivation floating in the wind in having us do just that. Sin can be so very subtle.
 
Im not as materialistic as I used to be, but I still have one vice, I like cars, if I had the money, I would probably be like Jay Leno, have 100s of cars, trucks, motorcycles, but Im glad Im able to afford one decent car to get around in! Ive always dreamed of owning a Lamborghini, they are about $250,000., not practical at all, only seats 2, gets 9 mpg, doors leak, etc. but imo, they are absolutely beautiful, I think the Italians have car design down to an art!

Ive always thought how great it would be to buy one and drive it around all day, obviously a car like this is just a toy, it cant be used a daily driver, grocery getter, but yet, I still want one…REALLY BAD…??

I think its just part of being human and living in a secular world, of course we are going to want things like this, after all, this is the only world we know…we have faith there is more after this life, but so far, no one has come back to inform us about this, so we only know the life we live in. I dont think its wrong to want things like this, but it would be sinful if it starts consuming your life, or you do evil things in order to get them.
 
Robert_Sock said:
Many people, I fear, live their entire life chasing after vanity, always feeling just one step away from lasting happiness. What makes us want so much junk in hope of gaining happiness? How much pride, for example, can a proud person feel, thinking it will result happiness just before overdosing on their sinful folly?

Do watching commercials cause us to want? Or are the marketers just wasting their time and money. What does it mean in modern day to sell your soul to Satan? I believe there is a strong motivation floating in the wind in having us do just that. Sin can be so very subtle.
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Television advertisements, social media, family members, friends, work associates all contribute to our wanting things we do not really need. We end up believing we do need all these things, that they are in fact necessities rather than luxuries in our lives. For some, it is the hunt in obtaining material possessions of various kinds, money, fame, status, privilege, power, that is the most exciting, and not the actual ownership of these, often fleeting, vanities. We live in a world of, what the poet William Wordsworth called, “getting and spending,” in which spirituality, if present at all, often takes a back seat.
 
Needs are relatively limited; just the physical aspects of keeping our human bodies alive.

Wants are limitless; and they trigger the same part of our head.

So we are driven without end by them.

ICXC NIKA
 
Robert_Sock said:
Many people, I fear, live their entire life chasing after vanity, always feeling just one step away from lasting happiness. What makes us want so much junk in hope of gaining happiness? How much pride, for example, can a proud person feel, thinking it will result happiness just before overdosing on their sinful folly?

Do watching commercials cause us to want? Or are the marketers just wasting their time and money. What does it mean in modern day to sell your soul to Satan? I believe there is a strong motivation floating in the wind in having us do just that. Sin can be so very subtle.
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Yeah, I think advertisings is powerful. If it couldn’t at least sway opinions, then companies wouldn’t be spending millions of dollars on it. It teaches us to associate products with happiness without our being aware.

Then, there’s society, keeping up with the Jonses. Movies teach us, a culture of materialism.

For myself, I don’t own a car. I haven’t had a car for the last 3+ years. I went another times 4 years without a car. I live in a city, use my wheelchair to get where I need to, generally, a cab if not. I generally don’t miss a car, because it’s an expense. Then, where do you park it? Do you have to pay for parking? Then, there’s insurance, registration, inspection, maintenance, the possibility of getting into an accident, something that seems to increase yearly with more and more cars on the road. There are tires…snowtires in some places.

You have to wash it, clean inside. It’s extra work, extra hassle. Then, there’s traffic. I rarely deal with traffic, fortunately, despite being in a city.

One can save a bundle by not owning a car, but there would need to be good, reliable transportation. Once I get my legs fixed, I plan to be back on the buses.

Even if I had millions of dollars, I hope I wouldn’t run out and buy cars just for the sake of collecting. To me, that’s an incredible waste. I hope I would own just one home. If I wanted more, then get homes for family or friends, not home after home for myself. I hope I wouldn’t let money go to my head like that.
 
I would say that avarice is the result of original sin except Eve’s desire for the forbidden fruit predated original sin.😛
 
Robert_Sock said:
Many people, I fear, live their entire life chasing after vanity, always feeling just one step away from lasting happiness. What makes us want so much junk in hope of gaining happiness?
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Read-up on the hedonic ladder. Though it can work in both directions. For example, someone repeatedly exposed to pain may become desensitized to some types of pain.
Robert_Sock said:
How much pride, for example, can a proud person feel
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Since I don’t know of any method for communicating or measuring an amount of pride I don’t think I can even start on this question.
Robert_Sock said:
Do watching commercials cause us to want?
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They might influence someone, but it doesn’t deterministically cause someone to want. Some may play on wants or psychological needs that a person already has. (ex: using a sexually attractive lady in a product for men that has nothing to do with satisfying that sexual desire, as an example).

BTW: It’s not just commercials on TV. Many advertisement campaigns are multi-pronged. Video advertisements (intentionally conflating TV ads and Internet video ads here) are one method, but there’s also graphic (print, banner) ads, interactive events, product placement, word of mouth, social media, and others methods of influencing people to purchase products.
Robert_Sock said:
Or are the marketers just wasting their time and money.
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Speaking as someone that works at a marketing company, while there may be workman’s pride in what is produced there is also some disinterest in the end result. When the marketing action is being released to the public sometimes we may have already moved on to our next campaign, project, client, or what ever the division of work may be.

Money is paid to marketing companies for time and effort. It’s not necessarily costing those involved in putting together a marketing event or campaign. There’s income that comes with it; that income allows people to do things such as pay the bills, buy food, and many of the other things that people are seeking to be able to do through having a job.
 
ClearWater said:
For myself, I don’t own a car. I haven’t had a car for the last 3+ years. I went another times 4 years without a car. I live in a city, use my wheelchair to get where I need to, generally, a cab if not. I generally don’t miss a car, because it’s an expense. Then, where do you park it? Do you have to pay for parking? Then, there’s insurance, registration, inspection, maintenance, the possibility of getting into an accident, something that seems to increase yearly with more and more cars on the road. There are tires…snowtires in some places.
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I’ve found that the disadvantages and advantageous of having a car vary by geography. When I’m in dense cities with developed transportation systems having a car can be a hassle (especially when it comes to just finding a place to park) and it seems easier to get around by public transit, cabs, Uber, or by sidewalk. In places that are more suburban being without a car can put one at a disadvantage; there’s not necessarily public transportation or even sidewalks and cross walks on which to fall back. Loosing one’s transportation could also result in loosing one’s way of life and employment. For my usual daily commute a taxi would actually cost more than the payment for the car I drive (Assuming a 0% loan over a 4-5 year period).

The cost, advantageous, and disadvantageous are situational.
 
GEddie said:
Needs are relatively limited; just the physical aspects of keeping our human bodies alive.
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…and yet these physical needs are often entangled with other artificial needs. I need access to food, water, and occasionally medical services (dental, vision, so on). To acquire those where I live I need money. For money I need a job. To hold a job they will want me to meet a dress code and adhere to regular hygiene. While it may be possible to do my job without having certain types of clothing is possible if my employer won’t tolerate it then clothing that might be considered a luxury in some context is seen as a need in the context of maintaining an income source (and thus one’s current strategy for acquiring food, water, and other needs). The phone that might be considered an unnecessary item can also be something that I am expected to already have and use as a tool for my employment. Because of these couplings it can be difficult to draw a line to clearly delineate some needs and wants.
 
ThinkingSapien said:
Read-up on the hedonic ladder. Though it can work in both directions. For example, someone repeatedly exposed to pain may become desensitized to some types of pain.
Since I don’t know of any method for communicating or measuring an amount of pride I don’t think I can even start on this question.

They might influence someone, but it doesn’t deterministically cause someone to want. Some may play on wants or psychological needs that a person already has. (ex: using a sexually attractive lady in a product for men that has nothing to do with satisfying that sexual desire, as an example).

BTW: It’s not just commercials on TV. Many advertisement campaigns are multi-pronged. Video advertisements (intentionally conflating TV ads and Internet video ads here) are one method, but there’s also graphic (print, banner) ads, interactive events, product placement, word of mouth, social media, and others methods of influencing people to purchase products.

Speaking as someone that works at a marketing company, while there may be workman’s pride in what is produced there is also some disinterest in the end result. When the marketing action is being released to the public sometimes we may have already moved on to our next campaign, project, client, or what ever the division of work may be.

Money is paid to marketing companies for time and effort. It’s not necessarily costing those involved in putting together a marketing event or campaign. There’s income that comes with it; that income allows people to do things such as pay the bills, buy food, and many of the other things that people are seeking to be able to do through having a job.
Click to expand...
I agree that the so-called hedonic ladder (or treadmill) makes us always want more since we become desensitized to feeling pleasure and happiness from the things we have already gained.
 
I believe God created “want” and it was good. Like most of God’s creation we can use it for God’s purposes or for our selfish purposes. The Ten Commandment tells us to not Covet our neibors goods (& wife).

Want has created many wonderful inventions from sewer systems, medicine, and smart phones. Technically, toilets are a luxory that were not available to the masses for milliniums. Yet, most will say the John Crapper system to deal with human waste is essential. Toilets range from a hole in the ground (which in Italy they charge a great amount to do for tourists ) to the gold toilets in Tokyo Japan with technological extras. Both (Italian & Japanese) are luxory and both allow sickness to be lessened. Both create jobs and push mankinds need to be valued and dignifies humanity. The Italian one brings a historical prospective and allows us to be thankful for inguenuity. The Japanese one allows good grooming, cleanliness, and may lead to other unknown advances for future generations. It it bad that our want has created different levels of toilets?

english.cri.cn/6909/2010/09/09/1901s593626.htm
theplumber.com/japaneseobsession.html
italychronicles.com/how-to-flush-toilet-italy/
 
Just a word on toilets - as a Brit, I find the ‘door-with-a-big-gap-underneath’ ones in the USA very alarming. We don’t have those in the UK, and I haven’t seen them much (if at all) in mainland Europe, either.

Once when in America I was confronted by a (barely) opaque glass door with a large gap underneath! That was part of a row of similar cubicles. I was on a coach trip and as we waited in the queue, we all turned our backs to provide some extra privacy. 😃

Worst toilet? In Ukraine. No door at all.
 
To Want something is different to needing something ,
the lesson of life is to recognise the difference
 
phil_at_dayboro said:
To Want something is different to needing something ,
the lesson of life is to recognise the difference
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I think we try to fill up the empty place in our lives with material things because we are not filled with LOVE for GOD. God Bless, Memaw
 
Giggly_Giraffe said:
The Ten Commandment tells us to not Covet our neibors goods (& wife).
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Seems to me, this commandment suggests the entire field of advertising and marketing are wrong and sinful…so why does the CC not speak out against such things? I mean, they make their voices heard when it comes to other topics, like abortion, gay marriage, etc. only makes sense, they should also speak out against other sin in modern times, or at least make people aware they are sinning.

This could easily be done, they could warn people interested in going into marketing or advertising that maybe they should pick another line of work.
 
mikekle said:
Seems to me, this commandment suggests the entire field of advertising and marketing are wrong and sinful…so why does the CC not speak out against such things? I mean, they make their voices heard when it comes to other topics, like abortion, gay marriage, etc. only makes sense, they should also speak out against other sin in modern times, or at least make people aware they are sinning.

This could easily be done, they could warn people interested in going into marketing or advertising that maybe they should pick another line of work.
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Advertisers, marketers, sales people, and politicians (government sales peoples) do indeed create a buzz about the goods/services they are promoting. However, it is not their job to apply self-control; this is for each individual to learn to master.

I have not watched a “commercial” on. TV for over four years. It’s nice . I do miss hearing about new technologies that would make my life more available to worship God. From my understanding, there are catholic, christain, jewish, and muslim groups who do protest and challenge the morals of commercials.

Now back to my toilet example. I might be content to have toilet where I pee in the floor. I certainly do not need my current toilet that is comfortable to sit on and has water saving features. I certainly don’t need a gold toilet; nor do I want one. But some of those other Japanese toilets that wash & blow dry while you sit down sound amazing. Is this want to be cleaner “coveting my neighbors goods” or is this want I have to be cleaner honor God ? They do say cleanliness is next to Godlyness.:). Regardless, it is a want that I do have in my life.
 
meltzerboy said:
Television advertisements, social media, family members, friends, work associates all contribute to our wanting things we do not really need. We end up believing we do need all these things, that they are in fact necessities rather than luxuries in our lives. For some, it is the hunt in obtaining material possessions of various kinds, money, fame, status, privilege, power, that is the most exciting, and not the actual ownership of these, often fleeting, vanities. We live in a world of, what the poet William Wordsworth called, “getting and spending,” in which spirituality, if present at all, often takes a back seat.
Click to expand...
👍
 
I always love the passage in Matthew where Jesus says: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;…”

People do tend to hoard things, out of insecurity or the inability to get rid of things I do not know. Also a lot of modern day goods are very poorly made, or purposely planned to go obsolete in a few years, so people feel they need to buy new stuff and trash the old. It’s a real problem.

On the other hand there are people who are starting to live in very small spaces where they can’t accumulate goods. This leads them to go out in the world and engage with others, instead of staying in their womb of home.

Advertising probably is a big cause, also coveting thy neighbor’s goods, living the lifestyle your job demands, etc. There’s no one answer.
 
I’ve been thinking about this lately, and seriously just underlined this quote in a book: “We are never satisfied, because we can never get enough of the things we don’t need.”

We try to fill an infinite-sized hole in our souls with the finite of the world. That is why we keep trying to fill it up. Only God can fill the desires of our hearts.

Advertising and lifestyle choices we make surely do affect avarice. When I hang around different crowds of people and spend more time with media (and less with God), it gets harder to resist. Just being conscious of that helps, and if you can - have an accountability partner!

Gemma
 
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