MNDR

Ik duwde je weg,
Want je kwam te dichtbij.

De plek in mij waar je woonde,
Houd ik nog steeds vrij.

Nu is m’n hart zo vol van die leegte,
Er kan niemand meer bij.

Poëzie is
Ook maar gewoon
Een katje
Met een jeugd-trema.

Quote by Lao Tzu

“To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.”

Poem by Portia Nelson

I

I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in.
I am lost … I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.

II

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place
but, it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

III

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in … it’s a habit.
my eyes are open
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

IV

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

V

I walk down another street.

Quote by Rabindranath Tagore

“You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”

The theory of economics covers a lot of ground. Smith, Keynes and Piketty are smart fellows after all. However, they’re quite vague on the difference between needs and wants. This is a tremendous shame. Clearly understanding the difference between what I think I need and what I actually need would dramatically simplify my life. Maybe it’s the same for you.

Wants include the whole plethora of small or big, respectable or shameful desires us humans learn to (somewhat) keep in check from an early age. The desire for nipples, sugar or nicotine, just to name a few.

Needs are something else entirely. Economists define a need as something that is needed to survive. They take this quite literally, meaning that you would die if your needs weren’t met. Consequently, this includes things like sufficient food, clean drinking water, protection from the elements or lifesaving medical treatment. Maybe there are other truly essential things you can think of?

Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.”