Needs and Wants, Article by Kenza (online member)

Our needs and our wants play important parts in our life. Our needs consist of things we need to live and our wants consist of things we want in life. Without our needs, we most likely wouldn’t live very long. Without our wants, some of us wouldn’t be very happy, or in another case, we might not even achieve the goal we want in life.  
We need the substances we use every day to survive. These substances commonly include water, food, clothing, shelter, sanitation and more. 
Our wants can be necessary or unimportant. Necessary wants may include equipment such as, stationery, books, bags and containers, phones/mobiles, computers, transportation, and so on. Unimportant wants, however (even though we still want/have some of these) may include jewellery, video games, music, magazines, and so on. 
Anyhow, just because our wants are classified into necessary and unimportant, doesn’t mean we should or shouldn’t have them. It just means we can live without them (even if we struggle without our necessary ones). 
The important thing is to appreciate what you have, be thankful, and not waste anything. Some people are so used to using their everyday equipment that they forget it all plays an important part in their life. Just imagine what it would be like if you didn’t have the cutlery in the kitchen anymore or that toothbrush you use to brush your teeth twice a day: any of those essential needs. Or even a glass of water! Life would be hard, wouldn’t it? 

Needs and Wants

Below is an article about needs and wants written by Zainab Salman, based on the points discussed in Session 33.

We rarely think about them, but Needs and Wants are an important part of our lives. Lots of things in our lives like shopping and buying things depend upon it. Our needs and wants gradually become part of our thinking.

Needs are very important things that are necessary to have in order for us to survive. Wants can be anything-anything that we want for ourselves. Often, we forget and buy stuff without thinking whether they are our needs or wants.

Needs and Wants are divided into these categories so that they are easier to understand:

Primary Needs:

Basic: Like clothes to wear.

Functional: Things that are necessary for the Need to work-like the clothes to be stitched -so that the need can be functional.

Secondary Needs:

Things that we consider as our needs but are not our basic needs, as we can survive without those. Examples include toothbrushes, furniture, and things that are a part of our home without any apparent reason

Wants: Things that we want- can be anything, wants have no criteria for being a want

There are five basic things that we should be thankful to God for, or more specifically, that we need to be thankful for. These five things are mentioned below:

He has given us our basic needs in abundance

Avoid Wasting and share with others!

He has given us more than our needs

Don’t make them your needs!!! 

He supplied us everything without being asked for them

Don’t consider them as your rights!

We can never thank him enough

Continue to be thankful, feel obliged to him!

He has given us lots of things which we have not worked for/earned

Believe in your lord, he will continue to give!

Lots of things are part of our lives and we sometimes forget to thank God for them. Needs and Wants are such small things that we sometimes forget and learning how to differentiate between them is a great skill.