Understanding the Needs Rather than Feeling for the Wants

By nature, man is a rational being. It means that he is designed to have brains that is supposed to be the central operating unit of his whole system. By analogy to the computer, it serves the function of the central processing unit, or the cpu.

The sad fact is that majority does not make use the full potential of the brain. Worse, many are controlled by their emotions, hence becoming irrational. Is it not a fact that when people are too emotional he tends to do crazy things?

Let us zoom in to the area of personal finance. People who are in financial problems are those that are being controlled by their emotions, especially in making spending decisions.

What do you think urges a person, an ordinary working class buying the latest model of a mobile phoe twice or even three times his salary? Is it not the "feel good" emotion while seen in public using an iphone, a blackberry, or any latest mobile phone?

One fine day when I was commuting in a public bus, a young kabayan in her late twenties was holding an iphone, a stark contrast to an ordinary motorolla phone I had for three years now. In the middle of the trip back to Al Ain from Dubai, this young kabayan tried to contact somebody using the shiny iphone. The funny thing occurred when I overheard from the loud voice coming out from the iphone speaker which goes "sorry, you do not have enough credits to complete the call..." At the back of my mind I was like bursting into laughter thinking that my 400 Dirham (or a little over $100) phone purchased three years ago is way better than this more than 2000 Dirham (around $600) iphone. My cheaper phone is more useful than the more expensive one.

If not ruled by that "feel good" emotion in your spending, you would intellectually decide which one is more useful and beneficial. Using our brains rather than our hearts in making decisions should be the most appropriate act.

A clich� that says "that is why your brain is placed higher than the heart so that it will rule over the latter" is very much applicable here.

Have you not noticed that in the book of Proverbs wisdom is very much emphasized? The book also contains a number of practical guides on handling our financial resources. Hence, God wants to emphasize that we should understand the need and avoid feeling for the wants as a practical guide to handling our money.

God bless!!!