Is everything in our lives either a necessity, or a luxury?

A lot of it is luxury, when you look at some other countries that barely even have the basics for living. I’m guessing that most of us live an existence which is even more comfortable than say a king in the medieval ages.

No.
Eggs are neither necessity nor luxury, unless you have been wandering lost in the desert for five days, then it would be both.

People got by 20,000 years ago with sticks and rocks. So I would argue the needs vs. wants thing is sort of a distorted Overton window. 20,000 years ago they needed a rock to get food. Today you need a Safeway.

But I think if necessary the window could shift back. If people were forced to hunt a mouse with a rock you could probably do it and live.

I just saw a homeless dude dig through my dumpster for food. Most of you probably wouldn’t eat dumpster food but you would if you had to.

And for the record. I gave the guy some Arbys I didn’t finish last night.

@johnpowell Most of you probably wouldn’t eat dumpster food but you would if you had to.

Heh I ended up living in the street for about a week and a half in my early 20’s, and I ate very little but I did find a sausage and pizza crust in the alley. Ate them, when you’re real hungry it’s surprising how much you don’t care where your food comes from.

I don’t think so. I think some considerable amount of the stuff in our lives—or maybe just my life—represents an obligation, maybe an unwanted obligation, but not a necessity; some is frivolous without qualifying as a “luxury”; and some is just a nuisance, a burden. Some represents good intentions that never materialized, some came along as a one-time impulse, and some remains because of laziness or neglect or an irrational fear of scarcity.

And some things cross categories, depending on the circumstances. There’s no need for me to light candles on the dinnertable every night, but I’m ready when the power goes out.

Almost everything is neither a necessity nor a luxury. Today’s spring sunshine and the woodpecker I heard and then saw in the woods are examples. Not everything is for our benefit. Most things just simply are.

Should I have added in our direct personal lives?
@flutherother
Like our homes, cars, clothes and so on.

I bought three bags of fertilizer from the store. I did not need it so it was not a necessity. I don’t think it qualifies as a luxury item either.

Ah but if it gets you a greener lawn, or bigger veggies then it was a luxury of sorts now right?

But again, I did not need it so it is not a necessity. And is a green lawn a luxury or a burden that need to be maintained? Also, home grown veggies are not a luxury. I can purchase them for less than I can grow them.