Need, want, something else entirely
May. 19th, 2004 06:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wispfoxThe word 'need' implies vital for one's survival, to me. The word 'want' implies that it'd be nice, but one would be ok either way.
I want a word to describe the difference in experience between simply surviving, and thriving. The difference between something to feed my physical self, and those things which feed my spirit. I can't think of things which help me thrive, which feed my spirit, as simply 'wants'. But, technically, neither are they needs. So what _are_ they?
I certainly run into them often enough, especially in the wintertime. So a word would be nice...
What word would one use to describe those people in one's life from whom one derives nurishment, who encourage one to grow, to discover, to improve, to learn, to become more one's self? With whom conversations are not only pleasant, but a delight, a source of joy, and something sorely missed when they are gone?
No, I don't _need_ anyone. That's not a burden I ever want to put onto another person, if I have any choice in the matter. Largely, I'm sure, because it's not a burden I _want_ - it's enough effort to take care of myself and my own physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
But... there are certainly people in my life for whom their presense, the ability to talk to them, are more than simply 'wants'. Some of these can be described as friendships, some of them are deeper than that. But I want a word to describe their importance in my life without implying that I cannot survive without them. I _can_, just not happily. And not as well. For, without them, I am missing whatever nurishment they were giving me.
There is a word missing for this concept, and I want it! (yes, I _did_ have this verbalize itself on the way home tonight, and while I was writing this. Can anyone tell? :)
I want a word to describe the difference in experience between simply surviving, and thriving. The difference between something to feed my physical self, and those things which feed my spirit. I can't think of things which help me thrive, which feed my spirit, as simply 'wants'. But, technically, neither are they needs. So what _are_ they?
I certainly run into them often enough, especially in the wintertime. So a word would be nice...
What word would one use to describe those people in one's life from whom one derives nurishment, who encourage one to grow, to discover, to improve, to learn, to become more one's self? With whom conversations are not only pleasant, but a delight, a source of joy, and something sorely missed when they are gone?
No, I don't _need_ anyone. That's not a burden I ever want to put onto another person, if I have any choice in the matter. Largely, I'm sure, because it's not a burden I _want_ - it's enough effort to take care of myself and my own physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
But... there are certainly people in my life for whom their presense, the ability to talk to them, are more than simply 'wants'. Some of these can be described as friendships, some of them are deeper than that. But I want a word to describe their importance in my life without implying that I cannot survive without them. I _can_, just not happily. And not as well. For, without them, I am missing whatever nurishment they were giving me.
There is a word missing for this concept, and I want it! (yes, I _did_ have this verbalize itself on the way home tonight, and while I was writing this. Can anyone tell? :)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
A streetcar named....
Date: 2004-05-19 10:56 pm (UTC)I can desire the pleasure of someone's company, or desire to see a movie, or desire chocolate, or desire a better job or a more comfortable lifestyle.
That said, I think a lot more falls into the "need" category than most people realize. We tend to be short-term thinkers when we talk about needs. Certainly, a person can survive naked in solitary confinement on a diet of bread, water, and vitamins for years with proper medical attention. Long before physical death, though, the spirit will die. Not the soul, which is immortal, and perhaps not the mind, though one could hardly blame someone under those circumstances.
What is spirit? I say it's that part of the self that has a direct relationship with Life, the connection between who we are and what we experience. Spirit has needs, and denied those needs it dies. We often overlook our spiritual health, to the detriment of our physical and mental health. We are complex, interconnected systems, and you can't neglect maintenance on one part and expect the rest not to suffer.