Do We Need It?

The human mind is a veritable rationalization engine: It is perfectly capable of generating rationalizations out of just about any situation. Therein lies the exploit that is prevalent in materialistic societies: Fooling the mind into providing the profitable answer to Do We Need It?

It is always easier to justify the tangible. This new lens is faster, and I can use it to shoot moving stuff better. This blouse is the right side so I can wear it. Things that have a function can easily be rationally justified. There's a need for the function, so a tool is obtained to fulfill that function.

Then comes the intangibles. This blouse is "better" than the one I have. That lens is faster, and *may* increase my capabilities. The car is prettier. In a situation where the budget is tight, there is no room for what-if's. There's no case of I may use it, or that's intangibly "better" than the other item. In fact, this would be a very good tool to save one's expenses for far more valuable things in the long run. Given the incredible ability to rationalize anything, it is a losing battle when one tries to justify the intangibles: There's always an affirmative lurking somewhere. A better question would be Would I Use It A Lot? Marginal utility. That's the ticket.