Basic wants

Wants and needs are two vital categories in the life of a human being. And they are often related, like two sides of the same coin.

Wants are different than needs, of course. Eastern thought and modern psychology are weary of wants. Wants often go unchecked and are the source of much suffering. They leave you wanting, especially when you use them as shields to protect yourself from the inescapable trials and tribulations of life.

The corollary to this is to shift attention to basic needs. They are the foundation. What is truly needed? This essentialism jives well with the Stoics and the Buddhists and the Maslowians. Basic needs are the essential stuff of life, what cannot be missing.

Wants are different, but/and they are just as undeniably a part of our experience. To want is to be a human being. Leaving them aside negates our humanity. There is a healthy flavor of wanting. Lack of wanting is, more often than not, a bad sign.

What do we learn when we investigate our wants? What is there to experience as we set on the path to be free of desires?

What are your basic wants?