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    Philosophy of Wantlessness Is Utopian, While Materialism Is A Chimera

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    ahmed shakeel
    The document discusses the philosophies of wantlessness and materialism. It argues that wantlessness, which encourages being content with basic needs and without desires for luxury, is idealistic but can enable true happiness. In contrast, materialism claims happiness is found through acquiring goods but this is unreasonable and unsustainable as it feeds endless desires. While both have merits, wantlessness is presented as the superior path for well-being by eliminating pain from unfulfilled wants.

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    Philosophy of Wantlessness Is Utopian, While Materialism Is A Chimera

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    ahmed shakeel
    26 views2 pages
    The document discusses the philosophies of wantlessness and materialism. It argues that wantlessness, which encourages being content with basic needs and without desires for luxury, is idealistic but can enable true happiness. In contrast, materialism claims happiness is found through acquiring goods but this is unreasonable and unsustainable as it feeds endless desires. While both have merits, wantlessness is presented as the superior path for well-being by eliminating pain from unfulfilled wants.

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    The document discusses the philosophies of wantlessness and materialism. It argues that wantlessness, which encourages being content with basic needs and without desires for luxury, is idealistic but can enable true happiness. In contrast, materialism claims happiness is found through acquiring goods but this is unreasonable and unsustainable as it feeds endless desires. While both have merits, wantlessness is presented as the superior path for well-being by eliminating pain from unfulfilled wants.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    26 views2 pages

    Philosophy of Wantlessness Is Utopian, While Materialism Is A Chimera

    Uploaded by

    ahmed shakeel
    The document discusses the philosophies of wantlessness and materialism. It argues that wantlessness, which encourages being content with basic needs and without desires for luxury, is idealistic but can enable true happiness. In contrast, materialism claims happiness is found through acquiring goods but this is unreasonable and unsustainable as it feeds endless desires. While both have merits, wantlessness is presented as the superior path for well-being by eliminating pain from unfulfilled wants.

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    Philosophy of Wantlessness is Utopian, While Materialism

    is a Chimera
    “Earth Provides Enough to Satisfy Every Man's Needs, but Not Every Man's Greed.” - Mahatma
    Gandhi

    According to materialist philosophy, the individual is intended to despise himself and be happy only after
    acquiring all of the commodities of desire. But do we truly hate ourselves while we are alive? Do we wish
    to be happy only when our lives are over? Materialism is a philosophy that contradicts the basic principles
    of the human mind.

    The Indian way of life inculcates in itself religion and ethics. Religion teaches that people should be
    wantless and selfless, this is the basic requirement for a happy and satisfied life. Human tendency is to
    live a life full of luxury. A luxurious life is based on power and money, and it is the most profound want of
    people's lives. Throughout life people are running behind these two wants i.e., Power and Money. Wants
    and wishes first would appear in people's imaginations and then surface more abundantly as a cause of
    misery when they are unable to fulfill them. Furthermore, as soon as a desire is satisfied, a feeling occurs
    in their mind for repeated satisfaction of the desire, as well as the generation of many other allied units.
    Thus, the fulfillment of a desire gives rise to a new set of desires, which leads to a new cause of misery if
    the needs and desires are not met. This never-ending cycle of satisfying one wants to satisfy another
    continues indefinitely. As a result, satisfying a want does not complete the circle of desire and suffering.

    A wantlessness is the state of mind in which there is no chance of arousing pain or getting pleasure.
    Happiness is the finest word to describe how one feels in such a state of mind. Happiness is more than
    merely the absence of sorrow, it is a state of being free of pain. When pain is eliminated, happiness is
    maximized. As a result, happiness is the final goal of human conduct. Pleasure, on the other hand, is
    merely a means to an end. It is more likely that happiness will be attained when pleasure is maximized. It
    might be said that someone is in a state of wantlessness when they have reached a degree of fulfillment
    and feel empty. As a result of ceasing to respond to stimuli as usual, they no longer have any needs or
    wants, and hence don't require any effort to be satisfied. To begin with, new cravings originate from our
    worldly needs for so-called luxuries. When these luxuries become a part of our routine, they become
    necessary for our comfort. It not only becomes a necessity but also a cause of pain. One must overcome
    flaws and impurities in order to uncover their true self.

    One should not let their desires control them. To achieve this state of wantlessness, one must first govern
    one's physical existence by comprehending the momentary nature of happiness derived from desires
    outside one's core demands.

    The concept of materialism implies that one may find satisfaction via the accumulation of commodities,
    which opposes the existential belief that life itself cannot be found in external things. Wantlessness
    enables people to let go of their reliance on external sources of happiness. According to the materialist
    worldview, the only way to be happy is to get all of one's wishes. It opposes the concept of self-love as
    well as the concept of self-respect and self-guidance by rejecting the concept of self-respect.

    Materialism is an unreasonable goal that will always be out of reach. In life, the desire to be happy is more
    important than the pursuit of materialism. We should strive for a life with few desires rather than a life
    without desires. It is difficult to live a life without desire. The goal of a life without want is only feasible if
    we can recognize and eliminate what we want.
    Materialism, according to research, makes individuals feel more competitive, manipulative, and selfish
    toward others, as well as less sympathetic. Materialism ultimately promotes individualism. The basic goal
    of materialism is to satisfy self-centered goals and aspirations. Materialistic ideology is preoccupied with
    vested interests.

    In the current situation, spiritual leaders are essentially encouraging a sense of wantlessness, selflessness,
    and materialism all at the same time. Various modern spiritual gurus promote wantlessness via religion
    and meditation, yet often charge excessive fees to individuals who attend their spiritual and meditative
    sessions. Religion and religious instruction are today pushed on the corporate foundation, or in other
    words, corporatization of religion is taking place.

    Buddha was probably right when he observed that desire is the root of misery. It's not hard to understand
    how it relates to a consumerism-driven way of life. Never being satisfied by what you have will just make
    you crave more. There should be a clear mindset that materialism does not make you happy in the long
    term. Materialism is only able to provide you happiness in the short term and temporarily. Once
    materialism is seen for what it is, materialism loses its appeal. A conscious knowledge about materialism
    will only be possible through the exploration of one's inner self. There is a need to explore knowledge
    through introspection and being directed towards the inner self. We have a wide range of desires, but we
    are constrained in our ability to fulfill our desires. If we have too many goals in our life then it will lead to
    distraction and we will not be able to focus anywhere. If we have too many things to do then our energy
    will drain out and nothing will be achieved. The problem is not a lack of desire, but rather that we urge too
    much. The problem is that we desire too much rather than not enough. Although we lack funds, we wish to
    make money. Although we want to marry, we haven't found the appropriate individual. We don't have the
    funds to support our desire to attend college. Despite not knowing how, we want to be happy.

    They are the reformers, the change agents, the people who feel that things can be improved. They are the
    ones who are optimistic about the future. They are the ones who desire the unthinkable. But we can't have
    it all. We will never have a perfect planet. We can only hope for a better world.

    In conclusion, the wantless ideology is idealistic. The materialist school of thought is a chimera. The truth
    is that we don't need anything to live, materialists argue that you do need certain things to survive. While
    many objects may make life easier, they are not strictly necessary for survival.

    “All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction.


    Love is therefore the only law of life. He who loves lives, he who is selfish is dying. Therefore,
    love for love's sake, because it is the only law of life, just as you breathe to live.” ------ Swami
    Vivekananda

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