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 plan-ners 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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