The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

***Psalms 23***

Scarcity is the ruling mentality of modern times. Fear is the foundation of scarcity. Overpopulation, food shortages, water shortages, housing shortages, never enough money, never enough time...

In order for scarcity to hold validity we must believe in the lack. The lack of space, food and water, leads to fear of overpopulation. The lack of money leads to fear of poverty. The lack of time leads to fear of our own mortality. In order for there to be a scarcity, there must be a lack, and yet what does a lack look like? Who among us can point to an observable lack? Where is the lack?

Fear of death makes us devoid both of valour and religion. For want of valour is want of religious faith.

***Mohandas Ghandi***

I shall not want. Want attracts more want. F = G \frac{m_1 m_2}{r^2}\ is the mathematical equation describing gravity that states; every massive particle in the universe attracts every other massive particle with a force which is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. It is worth noting that Newton's law of gravitation is remarkably similar to Columb's law of electrical forces, which states; the magnitude of the Electrostatics force of interaction between two point charges is directly proportional to the scalar multiplication of the magnitudes of charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distances between them. Of course, Newton's law of gravitation has been overshadowed by Einstein's theory of general relativity, but still has its practicality.

I want to know all Gods thoughts; all the rest are just details.

***Albert Einstein***

We want what we lack. We cannot observe what we lack, we can only recognize that we do not have that which we lack. To focus on the lack is to focus on that which we cannot observe. To focus on what we cannot observe is to ignore the present time which is filled with abundance. We are all here now, or now here, which is to say we are nowhere, here in the present time which was pre-sent to us from the past, either as a gift, as in a present, or as misery in that lack of which we cannot observe. Why pre-send moments now that only ensure our misery, or that which we lack?

Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.

***Thomas Jefferson***

Wanting to know who you are tends towards more wanting of knowing who you are. It is better to simply know who you are and act upon that! Many of us spend too much of our lives waiting until we have enough before we can do what we want to do and be who we want to be. This is akin to putting the cart before the horse. If we be who we want to be, then we will necessarily do what we need to do and it follows that then we will have what we need to have.

Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.

***Michael Jordan***

When we focus on the lack, we are the effect of that scarcity. When we focus on the abundance around us, we are far more capable of being cause over our own lives.

When we fear loneliness we do so because we recognize that there is no greater disadvantage than being all alone and lonely amongst the all alone and lonely. Yet, that fear of loneliness only tends to make us lonely. Rather than focus on the abundance of companions that surround us, we focus on the lack of companionship because we do not have the companion/s we want.

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

***Dalai Lama***

We can have sympathy and even empathy for others people misery...their lack...their want, but this sympathy, and even empathy is merely just a validation of their want, their lack, their misery. For this reason sympathy and empathy are lower levels of emotion. We serve others by offering our compassion, and we have no capacity to offer that compassion if we cannot find it within ourselves to show ourselves compassion. Compassion is not a validation of others, or our own misery, it is simply just understanding that we are who we are, and we will be what we will be, do what we will do, and ultimately because of that, have what we will have.

In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.

***Tony Robbins***

If we consistently want, then we will have become masters at wanting. If we are unhappy because we do not have what we want, then we must at some point be willing to stop wanting and start being that person who will do what is necessary to have that which we need.

No great man ever complains of want of opportunity.

***Ralph Waldo Emerson***

Opportunity is in abundance. There is never a lack of opportunity, only a lack of seizing opportunity. No one observes that lack of seizure, but we all recognize those who do seize the day. Indeed, lack is simply the flip side of opportunity! Whatever we genuinely lack, is a genuine opportunity to create.

If you want to be successful, it's just this simple. Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. And believe in what you are doing.

***Will Rogers***

If you know what you are doing, love what you are doing, and believe in what you are doing, what more could you possibly want?

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.

***Lao Tzu***

If you know who you are, what more could you possibly want?

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.

***Dale Carnegie***

Want is not action! Want is inaction. Action may sometimes be the consequence of want, but more times than not action is the consequence of need. What we want rarely has anything to do with what we want. What we need is more than enough, and in spite of those who would monger fear and endeavor to convince you that what you need is in scarcity, when you know who you are, you know what you need, and when you know what you need, it is a short step from getting what you need.

Scarcity is a method of control and its foundation is fear. Abundance is a method of freedom and its foundation is love. We can want to be enthusiastic about life, or we can simply be enthusiastic about life, but we cannot be enthusiastic about life when we want to be enthusiastic about life. Our want to be is a scarcity of being. Our want of doing is a scarcity of doing, and our want of having is a scarcity of having, and as long as we want, we are slaves to scarcity.

Perhaps, following Marshall McCluhan, every lack is a desired extension of the human body.
Electric light is an extension of the eye, wheels are an extension of legs, and so forth.
The body has needs.
But I do think the way we think about its fuel is changing.
The simple lack of food has combined with our lack of harmony for nature.
So, much of humanity would desire to have ethical food, for example.

Thanks for posting this. S&F!

My life has been very fulfilling. Many have complained they never had the opportunities I did. I try to convey these thoughts to them but it seems to go right by. I know well what you mean here but others seem to be stuck in their "want." I will have them read your post and perhaps it may strike a chord with them that I haven't been able to reach.

Excellent post and the "secrets" to happiness and fulfillment in life. So obvious to those of us who live this, so hidden and obscure to those who do not.

How does nature vs. culture come into this argument?
Two kinds of lack: one nature, one culture.
Nature is a need for physical survival.
Any other lack is taught by culture.
We must be told to be unhappy, and taught that we are lacking by culture.
So the best way to control us is to tell us that we lack something that somebody else has, and now we need it too, but can probably never own it.

That child has a real physical need firstly.
It is very malnourished.
So it has a natural lack in my paradigm.

However, it also has a real cultural need.
To an extent that is a lack of global compassion.

However, having lived in Africa virtually all of my life (and this is not a popular point) I don't think the world can ever change that.
It has a cultural need that selfish African dictators and leaders change their ways.
It's not the CIA or multi-national corporations who cause this.
It's a tradition of tribalism and corrupt, heartless and uncaring Africans.
Even if you fly food there, without an army somebody else would take it.
That child is suffering from a lack of accountability.

I subscribe to this view of life since 2005. Back then it was a huge relief. Today I pretty much have everything that I used to want .

This is easily the most important thread on the whole site, but it wont be taken that way.