Why do we strive to suceed beyond our needs?

1. 94

   Cre8torposted 11 years ago

   Why do we strive to suceed beyond our needs?
   
   Often we push to get where we need to be then we push more, why do we do this to ourselves? Will we ever stop pushing for more?

   replyreport
2. 60

   brajeevposted 11 years ago

   i think that's a common behavior of us humans. how much ever we have, we tend to need more. and i don't think we are ever going to stop it, including me.

   replyreport
3. 94

   MsDoraposted 11 years ago

   Perhaps when we have satisfied our personal needs, we can start pushing to help other people fulfill  theirs (Help them, not do everything for them).  That way, we'll satisfy our urge to push while being happy with our motive.

   replyreport
4. 61

   Double0Individualposted 11 years ago

   Primal survival instinct - or the twisted version of what we have left of it.
   Unfortunately, it shows itself in an unnecessary overzealous attitude rather than the initial survival purpose of "storing-up" for the winter.
   We humans always misread, misinterpret and miss the point.

   replyreport
5. 62

   beadreamer247posted 11 years ago

   We are usually being raised to push and set our goals. So it is "natural" to keep pushing. I don't really think it is wrong, because if we don't push ourselves again and again, we would be in a stand-still position with nowhere to go. Just hanging there without personal goals, without reaching for more, without realizing how much potential might in inside of us. And it is a thrilling and exiting feeling for all of us...when we realized we were able to reach a goal that we thought was out of sight.
   I feel a little uncomfortable around people without goals and working on themselves, because it appears there is no drive and no ambition behind, no energy for life, exploring and learning.

   replyreport
6. 81

   Gentle Fistposted 11 years ago

   We might misunderstand ourselves about our true needs. If you achieve to earn a lot of money on a monthly basis but still strive for more then money is not your true need. If a person has sex with many partners and still finds it is not enough, then that person might have some deeper and more subtle needs but is yet not aware of it. If we are not aware of our deeper need then we just boost the quantity of the one we are familiar with. But it is true that it is in human nature to evolve and think it is "never enough", but there are two aspects of it - in quantity and in quality.

   replyreport
7. 96

   chef-de-jourposted 11 years ago

   This is an interesting question that demands a book or two to answer!
   Sometimes more is less and sometimes less is more. If we strive and push for purely material things there may come a point where we reach a stage of saturation and have to say, Hey, Stop. This is one thing too many. I'm not as happy as I was, I've lost the ability to judge and value the true things in my life.
   This could be true for alot of western people, used to affluence and lots of toys! Perhaps if I was a subsistence farmer in India or south America I'd have a totally different outlook but I'd still be pushing for more. It's human nature to get the most out of any situation - generally speaking - for oneself, for the family. Inequality does have to be addresed though because that to my mind is obscene.
   We push in many directions. In all aspects of life- at work, in play, in sport. It is instinctive yet we have developed religion and philosophy to help us curb our continual need to push and gain ground. Life is complex and we're having to adapt to so many rapid changes. Yet despite all the greed, the wealth, the ego pushing, the aggressiveness, there's compassion and care. Despite the selfishness there's sharing and a will to give where it's needed. This is heartening.

   replyreport
8. 94

   Cre8torposted 11 years ago

   What great answers. Rarely do questions come up where there aren't a couple of "way out" answers. An up vote for all so far....especially since I couldn't seem to spell this morning. Thanks for not beating me up over it...needed more coffee.
   
   (s-u-c-c-e-s-s)

   replyreport
9. 0

   AndriyRposted 11 years ago

   I think this is just what the modern society tells people to do. Like: "you're not cool if you aren't driving an expensive car" and then once the poor guy buys the car of his dreams guess what - he feels satisfaction for a month or two and gets used to it. Now, he strives to go further and buy something bigger - and airplane for example. The bottom line is - striving for material stuff is a bad habit inspired by society. In fact - it benefits from people's unlimited desires: first of all it has a hard working element who will do his best to earn more and more to buy more and more. On the other hand - it has a consumer who's buying and buying to satisfy its endless needs.
   Once people understand what their real desires are - they will live happier. That is what I think, I'm not saying it is an ultimate truth. Maybe it has to be somewhere in the middle.

   replyreport
10. 96

    cat on a soapboxposted 11 years ago

    Humans, at least in the Western world, are driven by ego and a fear of not having enough money to satisfy the need for material wealth.

    replyreport