And although any appetite that is not curbed is a liability, when it comes to food the worst consequence is obesity. Regarding money, an insatiable appetite can result in thievery and murder.
The way to cope with our insatiable nature is to distinguish between our needs and wants. If you feel that you need something and you don’t receive it, you feel deprived. The advertising world is built on instilling the compelling sense of need and dissatisfaction.
Hence consumers are convinced that they need toothpaste that sparkles, glows in the dark, tastes like bubble gum and comes out of a shpritzer. It’s not good enough anymore out of a tube.
Likewise, it used to be enough to have a Barbie Doll. Now you need a Barbie Corvette, Dream House, Winter Collection, Pink on the Green, Barbie tote and Ken and…
Mercedes used to advertise that they “are here to fulfill all of your needs.” This would only be true if they would have boasted, “We at Mercedes are here to fulfill all of your wants.”
My kids are drilled on this all the time. If they say to me that they “need to go out and play,” they are promptly reminded that they need to eat and they need to drink and they need to breathe; but they want to go out and play.
(To be continued) Chodesh Tov – have a pleasant month!