I’m not sure the distinction really matters. What you’re actually asking, I think, is how we decide whether or not to act on a desire.
I can only speak for myself, but one of the first things I consider is how long I’ve wanted something. If it’s a new impulse, it’s probably not essential. That doesn’t mean that wanting something for a long time automatically justifies getting it, but it’s worth factoring in.
Another thing to ask is whether you’d still want it if you couldn’t tell anyone about it. Even if you say yes, could you actually do it? For example, I bought my dream car seven years ago, and I’ve never posted a single picture of it on social media. I didn’t even park it at my company lot - I walked the last five minutes instead.
The third thing is to consider whether getting the thing actually satisfies the need, or whether you’ll soon want another. I own plenty of cool and even expensive stuff, but most of it is the kind of thing I’ll probably never need to buy again. I’ll have and use it for the rest of my life.
When it comes to things like this, I think we usually know. Deep down, we do. Just be honest with yourself. You don’t owe that honesty to anyone else - but don’t lie to yourself about it either.
I’m not sure the distinction really matters. What you’re actually asking, I think, is how we decide whether or not to act on a desire.
I can only speak for myself, but one of the first things I consider is how long I’ve wanted something. If it’s a new impulse, it’s probably not essential. That doesn’t mean that wanting something for a long time automatically justifies getting it, but it’s worth factoring in.
Another thing to ask is whether you’d still want it if you couldn’t tell anyone about it. Even if you say yes, could you actually do it? For example, I bought my dream car seven years ago, and I’ve never posted a single picture of it on social media. I didn’t even park it at my company lot - I walked the last five minutes instead.
The third thing is to consider whether getting the thing actually satisfies the need, or whether you’ll soon want another. I own plenty of cool and even expensive stuff, but most of it is the kind of thing I’ll probably never need to buy again. I’ll have and use it for the rest of my life.
When it comes to things like this, I think we usually know. Deep down, we do. Just be honest with yourself. You don’t owe that honesty to anyone else - but don’t lie to yourself about it either.