A Generation of Wants

A Generation of Wants

Our generation (at least here in the Philippines) is a generation of wants. It's evident that we always crave for "something more". And though some arguably attribute that desire for more to our human nature, it still all boils down to choice. Of course, some people would ask, "Well, what's wrong in wanting something better for yourself?" "What's wrong in wanting a better life?"

Ah, but that's when things get twisted. The quality of life is then determined by the quantity of material things. For others, it's the quality of some things. We "long for" and "dream of" and "desire" and sometimes, even think that we "need" the things of this world. As with all addictions, we fail to realize that what we want, isn't what we need. We can think of a thousand and one excuses why we "need" something because the truth is if we want something so bad, we can actually come up with a thousand more.

The reasons behind our wants range from the logical "because-I-can-afford-it" to the shallow "because-it's-the-newest-model". We think it's justifiable that we blame it on the media and how they make you think you need something you really don't. Some may even shift the blame to the companies who deliberately strip down a phone's features just so they can release its "upgraded" version six months after. Whatever things we get our hands on, it's just simply not enough. At least according to us.

I recently upgraded from a 6210 to a 6630 a few months back. And though I appreciate the ability to shoot random photos whenever I want to, I could honestly say that if they still sold the cybersilver version of the 6210 even for the same price, I would have gotten that instead. Why? First of all, because I am a creature of habit. From a locked state, I could unlock that phone, go to the write message screen, text and send a message with that phone using my off-hand behind my back. I only replaced it because it really was in the habit of conking out whenever the battery was nudged out of place. So there. Most importantly, I realized that I was content with that phone. I didn't "need" to have any cameras attached to it nor did I have the desire to have a polyphonic ringtone instead of one that resembled a Morse code message.

The things we need to ask ourselves are:

"Do we really need to get the latest model?"
"Do we really need that much memory?"
"Do we really need to have that gadget?"

I shake my head in vain because there are times that I do succumb to that question and say, "Of course, I do!" I guess the lust for technology will always show our true colors. But if we stand fast and remind ourselves about what's important in life, we will realize that all the things we believe to be important are as fleeting as waves tossed in the ocean.

The quality of life isn't measured in gigabytes or limited edition chrome finishes but in the lives we touch, the amount of forgiveness we offer and the smiles we give away.