Philosophy of Wantlessness is Utopian, While Materialism is a Chimera

• 07 Sep 2022

“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