While preparing a talk for church a couple of weeks ago, a thought sneaked into my mind. The talk was on sacrifice, and I was trying to come up with items we purchase but don’t really need to have. My hope was to help everyone consider living within their means — a topic that frequently comes up during every general conference.
Enter my sneaky thought …
Isn’t it interesting how quickly we, as a society, will transition luxuries into necessities? The cellphone is a perfect example.
Before I left on my mission, the only people (at least that I knew) who had cellphones were business executives. Two years later … everyone had one, and for, what seemed to be, no apparent reason. It was as though the temporary excuses for having one slowly became validated reasons. Can you even imagine life without your phone?
Being a college student at that time, what purpose would a cellphone give me?
I fought the idea of owning a phone for a year. Even the thought of someone getting in touch with me whenever, wherever, didn’t appeal to me. A cellphone was more of a luxury item; nice to have, but unnecessary.
Eventually, I succumbed to external stimuli and bought my first mobile phone in 2001. Life has never been the same since.
Leaving my phone at home alone makes me sick to my stomach. No longer is my cellphone a luxury, but a necessity. All of my excuses for owning one quickly became validated reasons.
Truth be told, I’m a cellphone addict. My mother thinks the phone is permanently attached to my hand, and my friends joke about how frequently I get phone upgrades.
Today, cellphone users are becoming younger and younger. Who would have thought that grade school teachers would need to implement no-texting rules in their classrooms.
Since when were 9-year-olds running multi-million-dollar companies? Guess they take calls during recess.
Just like the cellphone example, we all face the challenge of discerning between needs and wants. Taking a step back and thinking about my intended purchases has recently helped me realize the difference. Do I really need it, or is it something I just want?
Although I haven’t done this every time, when I do, it saves me from a heap of debt.
Here’s a thought: Maybe we could simplify life by getting rid of a few necessary luxuries.
