Needs not Wants

By Bill Fox/Columnist

Looking back on your life, when were you happiest? For some of us, it has little to do with material goods. For example, my happiest memories are at a really old family cottage. The cottage does have an indoor washroom (thank goodness). However it is a very simple structure. There is no automatic dishwasher, nor many of the conveniences that many of us now regard as essential. What makes the cottage special has nothing to do with the structure itself, but the many happy family memories shared at “Grandpa’s cottage.” Interesting that such a simple place can bring such happiness. It would certainly be nice to have an updated, modern cottage but is it needed?

I recall when our first son was baptized in Colgan, Ont., the priest gave us some advice. He said, “Denise and Bill give Christopher everything he needs, not everything he wants.” Such wisdom has reminded us continually that we do indeed have everything we need…but we still have “wants” as we want desperately to get out to B.C. to see Christopher and his family and four children as soon as we can. Thank goodness for FaceTime and Zoom.

Recently the Lotto Max prize was up to $70 million. I admit to buying a ticket but then wondered what I would do with the money had I won. I am quite content with my conditions as they are. I always thought it would be better to share and have 70 one million dollar prizes than to give one person (in this case someone in the Sudbury area) all that money. There is an old saying that may be familiar to some readers, “Live simply, that others may simply live.” Today, in our difficult global economy, I believe that saying is even more important.

Our society today still seems to be possessed by possessions. We sometimes buy things we do not need, with money we do not have, to impress people, that, in fact, we do not like.

I once made a placard for a strike action that read, “Money won’t buy us happiness, but if you pay us enough we can rent it.” I think today that this saying is still true.

Many years ago, while at Ontario Place, we toured the marina. I envied the people that owned those beautiful boats until I realized some of the yachts had guard dogs, and a few had security guards. It would seem the more you have, the more you have to worry about. However, I still wish I could afford to “rent” one of those boats for a week.

It is a known fact that a lot of wealth won’t avoid unhappiness. In late 1929, during the great stock market crash, it was reported that many people committed suicide when they lost their possessions and wealth. Was ‘family’ what mattered most in their lives? What matters most in yours? Hopefully not just material things.

You see, materialism can foster a false sense of self-esteem and importance. With great wealth we can become less dependent on each other and therefore lonelier. Contributing to this, we now have even more drive-in restaurants, but also we have added drive-in beer stores. The most recent trend now is drive-in funeral parlours. While this concept might work during COVID restrictions, I would hope that each of us has made enough of a contribution to our planet that people could actually get out of their cars to pay their last respects once we normalize life again.

With the onset of COVID, a lot of people have had to live a simpler lifestyle.  For some this has given them more opportunities to work with others, sharing their time and possessions with their neighbours. If we become committed to living a simpler lifestyle, we may live a healthier lifestyle, with less tension and anxiety, as we reduce the need to work long hours and thus have more time for our family and friends.

Do you find you agree that you have everything you need, but not necessarily everything you want? I’m at bdfox@rogers.com if you ‘want’ to comment.