Lessons from Africa (Part 2): What I Need

There is a movement in our culture that I’m really excited about. It has people talking. It has them making commitments, blogging, signing petitions, teaching their children, and working together. Most importantly, it has them taking action. This, more than anything else, is creating change.

This movement is called being green. Most of us by now have been exposed to this sudden awareness of how much we throw away, how harmful it is, and what we can do to minimize it. We’re learning how to reuse, repurpose (Pinterest makes that even more fun!), and try to make due before we go out and buy more.

But for me, it took flying thousands of miles and living among impoverished families to learn this lesson well. These people know how to make due.

I know most of us don’t live in Africa. We have different standards of living in our culture. There are certain things we are expected to make room in the budget for. There are certain things we consider needs, and if we don’t have the money, we buy them on credit. They are after all, necessities.

But really, how necessary are they?

I’m not the first one to say it, but I’ll add my voice to the crowd. We need to redefine the word need.

However, it’s not our culture that needs to redefine it. I believe we need to redefine it. As individuals, as families. Everyone is in a different season and different circumstance in life, so I won’t make any blanket statements. You know your situation. How do you define need?

When you look for a new apartment, do you need more space and new furniture?

When you have a baby, do you need a boppi, a bumbo, a swing, and a johnny jump up?

In order to cook good food, do you need a pizza pan, a pizza stone, and three sizes of baking sheets? (I wrote about something similar here.)

In order to have reliable transportation, do you need a brand new car?

In order to make a house a home, do you need to have your name attached to a huge mortgage that is driving the peace right out of that home?

I’m not judging anyone. I’m not saying it’s bad to have more than you need, because I’m really grateful than we have those things. I’m just asking. What do we need?

Cheers,

P.S. This post is shared at Frugal Friday.