This difference is in Simone Weil's THE NEED FOR ROOTS, which I've thrown out often enough you all may be sick of it - the difference between a need and a desire is that a need can be sated. We've lost the ability to tell the difference, or so forgive obsessive pursuit of desire.
Every time I read articles about extremely wealthy people/companies engaging in unethical behavior to become even more wealthy, I think about this excerpt from the book the psychology of money.
The endless quest for more is so damaging, especially when pursed by those who already have enough.
Weil's is a good and worthwhile distinction, but continual accumulation and profit-seeking is a structural feature of capitalism. although individuals are certainly shaped by it, it is independent of them--us--in important respects.
Well said! If you've lived your life having all your needs met, all you know is desire.
That doesn't apply to all of us, but it does apply to a lot of us.
There are areas of my life where I do not have enough. However, I am now mature enough to know that in my pursuit of 'more' I don't have to make others' lives miserable in the process.
