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MORE FOR
YOUR MONEY
'Tis the season to be paying bilis! Here's a plan
for
paying fewer
of
them in 19
7
3.
W
HAT
a world we live in!
ln the atHuent nations
- and that includes not
only the United States, but also
Britain, France. Belgium, West Ger–
many, Australia. New Zealand and
others as well - people are com–
plaining more vociferously and di–
vorcing more rapidly over family
finances than are the under–
privileged peoples of the earth.
Although most of these affiuent
families can afford to satisfy the ma–
jority of their needs and simple
wants. they are also feeding an in–
ner monster called "desire."
What Do You Need?
By contrast, most of the world's
underprivileged citizens Live on a to–
tal income of $100 a year, but de–
spite their meager earnings, they do
eke out a living. Their "needs" are
met. An Australian or British adult
could conceivably "live" on $100 (or
.t40) a year. This pittance would be
spent, according to one study, on
plain yet nourishing basic foods
PLAIN TRUTH Febrvory 1973
by
Gory Alexonder
ond Gene Hughes
such as cabbage, a bit of meat,
buckwheat fl.our and very little else!
One old set of clothes and a leaky
lean-to wouJd complete the list of
"necessities." And this one adult -
witbout bis family - would be
barely able to stay aJive.
A "need," simply defined, is that
something you must have to stay
alive.
Wbat most people in the devel–
oped nations would call necessities,
then, are actually "wants." Wbat
people want in order to insure mín–
imum human decency
is
more than
the bare necessities required to sat–
isfy their needs. And these "wants"
are usually legitimate. They may in–
elude a five- to ten-room house,
a car for transporta tion and plea–
sure, appliances, heating, multiple
changes of comfortable clothing,
medica! aid, furniture , recreation
and music. Most families in the
"have" nations are either supplied
with these basic wants or have firm
plans to raise their living levels just
as soon as they can alford to, or else
they undcrtake one of the many
credit purchase schemes so readily
available.
But beyond real necessities and
basic wants are the desires or crav–
ings that human beings are eager to
satisfy. These are the artificial pica–
sures that account for consumer
credit, bankruptcies, over-pricing,
repossessions and so many of the
other negative kickbacks that turn
the craved goods into very undesir–
able
Ji
abilities.
Satisfying sorne of these cravings
- or strong desires - is not alto–
getber wrong. of course,
if
you can
alford them. But
if
you're spending
"tomorrow's money" in a vain at–
tempt to buy happiness today, then
these cravings are wrong, negative
and destructive.
Happiness ls
Happiness is beautiful. But hap–
piness is (and always will be) a
state
ofmin
d.
True happiness is not deter–
mined merely by the fulfillment of
desires or craviogs, for a man's life
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