Materialism has a crass slogan, which is currently being
used by an electronics store: “I want that.”
Ever since I heard it a few months ago, I have been reflecting on what
these three words are really saying and why they bother me so much.
“I want that,”
reminds me of a young child demanding what he wants when he wants it. “I want” is greedy and does not care about
others. If what “I want” belongs to
someone else, it leads to envy and discontent.
Where “I need” shows
a level of humility and dependence, “I want” is demanding and rude. I am reminded of words from the book of
James that show what an unbridled desire for material things can lead to :
“You want something but don’t get
it. You kill and covet, but you cannot
have what you want. You quarrel and
fight. You do not have, because you do
not ask God. When you ask, you do not
receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on
your pleasures.”
~James 4:2-3
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