Needs vs Wants

Taking a look at the difference between our needs and wants and where to draw the line in life

What is it that you want in life?

What is it that you need in life?

Are they often the same things or are they different?

How often do you get what you want and how often do you get what you need?

Can you differentiate between the two?

If you have asked yourself the above questions before, we’re on the same boat. Perhaps, a lot more are on that boat as well.

There is a fine line between what we need and what we want. Often, we tend to confuse between the two because emotions get in the way and it clouds our judgement.

More often than not, we think of one thing, only for it to be something else.

However, I was able to learn a bit about differentiating the two on a much clearer level and it has helped me to look at things a little bit more clearer than I did before.

And I want to share it with you in hopes that it will help you too.

I spent the past week in a plantation estate, speaking and interviewing foreign workers in the country. If you’re still wondering where I am, I’m currently living in Malaysia, a country located in South East Asia with a total population of around 30 million people.

More specifically, Malaysia is in between Thailand and Singapore and very near to Indonesia. For some reason, Malaysia isn’t as well known as the other Asian countries I had just mentioned.

Anyway, it is a developing country that hopes to achieve the ‘developed’ status by 2030, with the agriculture industry being one of its biggest industries.

Foreign workers are one of the biggest workforce in the country as well, with a lot of them coming from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal and India.

The workers I spent the past week with are from Indonesia. It was truly an eye opening experience for me, talking to them in the vast fields of the estates, under the sun and listening to their stories. In total, I spoke to over 50 workers over the 6 days I was with them.

Basic Needs

When we talk about basic needs, the first things that come to mind would obviously be food and water.

Then you’ll think about a roof over your head, clothing and maybe transportation.

But dive deeper and you’ll realize that those basic needs differ from mine and yours and the workers.

Food and water for some of us would probably mean baked beans, sausages and eggs, with a glass of orange juice for breakfast. Maybe a plate of pasta with another glass of orange juice for lunch and then steak with a nice glass of wine for dinner.

Clothing would see us owning around a few pairs of jeans, shirts, sweaters and some branded sneakers from Nike or Adidas.

A roof over our heads probably means living in a 3–5 bedrooms, double-story, semi-d house and transportation would see at least 2 cars in the porch.

That sounds about normal doesn’t it?

You know what sounds normal to those foreign workers?

Food and water = a slice of bread with jam for breakfast, fried rice with mixed vegetables and egg for lunch, rice with soy-sauce and fried egg for dinner. All three of those meals with just plain water.

Clothing = at least 2 pairs of shirts and trousers that will be rotated every single day.

Housing = provided for by their employers but usually a wooden house with three bedrooms but no 24/7 electricity.

Transportation = bicycle or motorcycle.

Same basic needs but very different in terms of the content.

But here’s where things got me to thinking. Comparing the two, what they have are really the basic needs of a human being. What is deemed normal for most of us would be considered very luxurious for them.

What may seem like just a need for us could actually be a want for them. They don’t need those things but they may want it because it’s nicer and better than what they’d usually get.

They don’t need a 3-course meal. What they usually eat is sufficient but I’m sure that if they were given a 3-course meal, they’d take it. It’s not a need, but a want.

Need vs Want

Do we really need every single thing that we have in our lives right now?

Do I really need a $1000 iPhone XS when a much cheaper phone that may cost around $150 could do all the same basic functions?

Do I need to buy a $40000 BMW when a $15000 Ford would do the exact same things as the BMW?

Do I need live in a 3-story, 6 bedrooms house when a single story, 3 bedrooms house is more than enough?

The answer to all those questions above is NO.

All the cheaper, smaller options are just as good as the bigger, more expensive ones. Of course, there are certain conditions like the size of the family, etc but there are always cheaper options that are just as good (and sometimes, even better) than the more expensive ones.

So, it’s not so much about NEEDING a BMW or an Apple product, it’s more about WANTING a BMW or an Apple product.

And sometimes, we get so caught up about wanting something that we end up thinking and believing that we need it.

In reality, we don’t.

We need food and water, yes.

We need accommodation and transportation, yes.

In today’s world, we do need communication devices like phones.

But, we don’t need the ones that is beyond our means. You don’t need a $100 Adidas shoes. You can get a good one for a quarter of the price, I’m sure.

A lot of things that we think we need are actually just objects of desire from our hearts which are merely wants, not necessities.

Learning about how people from third world or developing countries who are living in poverty — view their needs in life, is truly an experience that has taught me a lot.

I realized that many times, I want things that I don’t really need. Things that I want because society has made me believe that I need it.

If you can afford it, go ahead.

But if you can’t, don’t go chasing after it because you don’t really need it.

I am humbled by what these foreign workers have taught me and despite having so little in the eyes of the modern day society, they are contented and just want to make an honest living for themselves and their families.

They have opened my eyes to what I really need, compared to what I really want. I know that most of the things I want is because of I see it as achieving a higher standard of living but I know that I don’t truly need it.

In a way, it has helped me to put less pressure on myself to get those things because I now feel more contented with what I already have.

However, at the same time, it has given me a much clearer mind and a much clearer perspective of things for me to continue to work towards what I want in life.

Have you sat down and thought about the needs and wants in your life? Do you really need them or are they just things of your heart’s desire?