Going to school.
Working for a paycheck.
Buying anything.
Societal norms like mowing lawns.
Sometimes I feel I’m lost in a mad sea of Manufactured Needs, and I’m one of the few who see it.
We in “industrialized nations” are told since infancy that our modern way of life is absolutely needed for our survival. But we are lying to ourselves if we really believe that. We really use cognitive dissonance, when we refuse to accept this is insane to keep our false sanity, to get by this sea of collective madness.
Most of these artificial, manufactured needs are not Real Needs.
Our real needs are few. Psychologist Abraham Maslow clearly identified them, such as companionship, shelter, food, and purpose, and if we are honest with ourselves, we know them instinctively and see the rest is a manufactured dream, or nightmare.
It saddens me a bit when I see hoards of fellow humans buying into those manufactured needs of illusion. Caught up in the storm of what we were told would make us happy, we destroy our generous earth, our relationships, even our own natural bliss.
I won’t lie it can be very hard to let go of our manufactured needs – to stop being alienated from our true nature and make our way to the shore. It goes with surfing waves of compromises sometimes, like mowing the lawn or using the car once a month, working less hours for a pay and spending more time with what is truly important.
We may focus on what we have control and treat ourselves with compassion along the way. We can consciously change ourselves for the better, and inspire others to do the same.
I have a sight on the repercussions of my less-than-perfect lifestyle, I try to do the best I can in my situation, and to better it always.
I rejoice in the fact that each conscious breast stroke keeps us in tune with ourselves, takes us closer to our real needs, and brings a better way of life on earth.
Marie-Eve Boudreault, Writer 
Hey Marie Eve,
I’ve recently discovered you and your writing, and am enjoying your articles so much. I particularly love this one, Letting Go of Manufactured Needs. I have been thinking and writing a lot about these things recently. My boyfriend and I moved from the UK to Berlin yesterday – everything we own packed into the car; and though we barely own anything these days, we still have an excess of stuff from simply companionship, food, shelter and purpose.
However, I think that purging our belongings of everything we don’t truly need and treasure, brings us an abundance of joy and appreciation from the few things we have. We have identified that by letting go of Manufactured Needs, we are able to live for the summer in dear old Berlin, without having to get a job – because if we don’t need to pay for anything except food and shelter, we can make our small amount of money last; and we find companionship and purpose in ourselves, friends, and the new opportunities from the city for free.
It’s so true that less is more, and perhaps to some our situation sounds ominous, we feel more relaxed and free than ever before! Please keep writing your great words. Katie.
LikeLike
Hi, thanks for your kind words! I absolutely love what you are doing too and I follow your blog.
I enjoy reading that it works well for you too, and thanks for sharing. I believe we all have our own paths, and so our own ways to perfection, even if it seems not always enough as long as we’re doing our best and investigate what more we could do it’s already a great thing. I try to embody the change I want to see in the world, I know it’s lots of work coming from our “modern background”, but every step in the right direction warms my heart.
Have a wonderful summer 🙂
Marie
LikeLike