Stuff becomes desired for the brief pleasurable moment of…

Stuff becomes desired for the brief pleasurable moment of the acquisition; being handed some glistening object in a shopping bag has become to the modern ethos a short sumptuous thrill akin to the kiss at the end of a date, but more reliably attained. The distinction between needs and wants is lost. Financial planners who help people struggling with credit card debts, as many millions of Americans must, report that clients frequently say, "I need a new suit" or "I need this necklace" or "I need a satellite dish." What they really mean is that they want these things. But George Will has written, a need "is defined, in contemporary America, as a 48-hour-old want." The result is a "blurring of needs and wants," which leads to a "tyranny of the unnecessary."

— from True North (Ethics, Integrity, Truth, Values)

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