That golden toilet bowl... Need or a want?

All of us have wants in our life. At every point in our lives. But not all of us are able to get what we want everytime, simply and most usually because of the lack of means to achieve it.

There I was minding my own business in my humble abode's toilet when I heard a distinct loud adolescent cry.

"WHY WON'T YOU BUY ME A PLAY STATION!!!"

"YOU SAY AFTER P5, THEN AFTER P6, NOW I SEC 1 ALREADY YOU STILL HAVEN'T BUY!"

I realise for no known logical reasons, that the toilet is the most 'connected' place in my house. At different intervals of the day, one can hear a radio blaring 95.8 tunes, the television broadcasting news at 930pm, the sound of a running vaccuum, stir frying, dishwashing and naturally different voices from different neighbours conversing. More amazingly, while the noise level is minimal, it is clearly audible (wonder if they could hear me bombing away on the bowl).

So you can imagine I had quite the 'front row seats' to what is turning to be a family argument. I'm no eavesdropper but you can't expect me to find my ear plugs while I'm in the midst of 'transaction' can you? Anyway the poor boy was clearly inconsolable and was screaming his lungs out. All the bawling, wailing, shouting accompanied by the occassional sobs and sniffs would have put any parent on a mad dash for the antacids.

I suppose the parents know of the deadly close proximity to the neighbours as they started speaking to the erm 'child at 13?' in hushed tones. Somehow after 10 mins or so the kid toned down. Yes a full 10 minutes you gotta hand it to him for his resilience.

So that little incident got me thinking: "Have I ever owned a PS?"

More so, "Did I always get what I wanted'?

Sure I wanted lots when I was a kid. That 16-bit game console that you keep going to your friend's house to play on pretext of project, those cool gameboys, the latest board games, those crazy decks and decks of street fighter cards that other kids in school were always showing off, the coolest backpacks...

The list can go on forever. But I had none. None at all.

Well it's not that my family can't afford them, nor that I needed them then but hey, if everyone owns them why not me? The truth is at that point of time in life, I was clearly unsure of what I needed. Fortunately my mom was always prudent. To the extent that at Sec 2 I was sporting a holey, ludicrous and hideous bright yellow NDP '97 bag that gained me instant infamy and ridicule those days. It was only the next year, when my elder bro sponsored me my celebrated green 'Eastpak' backpack (more of you can relate now) which I still use at times till this day ("Guaranteed for life, maybe longer"), that I owned something I desired.

My first bag of my own choice.

Looking back, I sure was glad that my parents had intervened at those 'I WANT' junctions in life. I mean what would I do with all those things that I would have outgrown today? The money spent on these could have been used in a better way like buying essentials for the family. Sure that bag didn't come easy. I still remember it cost $69 back then. Comes with a lifetime warranty and was probably the most expensive asset to my name at 15 years of age. But that was a need.

Which brings me to the crux of this little discussion: Do we really know what we want and what we need today?

Sadly I have to say not all of us, even after a few or more decades in life, know the subtle but pressing differences. Face it, one can't depend on their parents to make the correct decisions in life on their behalf forever. Its time to realise that the decisions you make today will turn back and hold you accountable some time on in future.

I can't bear to think how much has been lost or what could have been put to better use just within my family. Heck I was also responsible for making hasty lousy decisions myself. Yes yes I can afford to and I DO buy my own things today in case you're still wondering. =) I thank God that I have a mom who scrimped and saved to put me through college. Sometimes I wonder what would happen of the family if not for her. She has showed me that one don't need a degree or phd to prioritise.

It is true, personally, that God the Jehova Jireh provides,

but I believe that one is responsible for making the best use of the provision.

I just hope there is somehow someway I can get this couple of people to understand this concept. Perhaps I'm just trying to hammer jelly to the wall.

SIGH.