Subject WANT

**imagine** · 01-03-2012, 03:32 PM

I was thinking about want, about its definition.

In A Christmas Carol want was one of the wretches of mankind

It is said that the poor are in want. The rich in classic tales are said to be in want of nothing.

So I looked up the definition of want it does mean a desire but it also means lack, need, and poverty.

Do you think the working definition has changed over time?

**Shelli_wnj** · 01-03-2012, 04:25 PM

I am sure of it. Want used to mean something you didn't have, but needed. Now it means something you don't have (or want more of) that you certainly don't need. So needs vs. wants. My opinion.

**monkeywrangler71** · 01-03-2012, 04:51 PM

I still use both senses of the word.

**bunnys** · 01-03-2012, 05:16 PM

I think of the 4 Noble Truths:
1--there is suffering in the world.
2--we suffer because we want (i.e., the pain to stop, food, that new car that's cooler than the Jones', a reunion with my estranged child, etc.)
3--the way to stop suffering is to stop wanting.
4--the way to stop wanting is to follow the 8-Fold Path of Moderation in every area of our lives.

So want fits the definition of either extreme, too much or too little.