Mental Necessities
I am a student in the US from India. Does that already tell you that I am mostly cash-starved and live only on necessities. When I buy something, I think twice — Is this something I really need? Can I do without it? As you might have guessed, most things fail the second test. As a result, all the stuff I own is absolutely essential and nothing more than that.
After this summer, my life has changed a little. My internship helped me pay tuition fee and have some money for myself. I immediately tagged that money as “Emergency fund” to be put aside for later. What that means is a note to myself — Do not spend this money, Use it to repay loan.
Something changed yesterday. My roommate has just graduated and will soon join a firm. She wanted a set of formal clothes and asked me to come with her. I looked around and found so many things that I wanted — a rose-sandalwood body wash, a papaya face mask, a pair of loafers. But none of them would pass my harsh tests. I do not need these and can certainly do without them. I thought about it and felt guilty about still wanting to own them. I told my roommate how I felt and asked her what she thought about this. She said something that reverberated in my mind — “Why do you feel guilty? These are mental necessities.” I did not understand. Is there any such thing as a mental necessity? Do our minds need any of these things ?
The idea struck me. She is right. Some things are physical necessities while others are mental. The physical necessities are important for a healthy body and mind. The mental necessities give a sense of satisfaction, a sense of luxury. Mental necessities make you feel that your happiness is important to at least one person in the world, you.
By the way, I am very happy with my purchase yesterday.
