"freedom from want"

we all recognize this as one of the "four freedoms" series painted by norman rockwell for life magazine back in the day.

back in the day "freedom from want" meant having the basic needs of life.

a set of "sunday clothes" in the closet, and food on the table on a predictable basis.

during the depression clothes hooks were empty and so were pantries.

people stood in line for a tin cup of watery soup and considered themselves lucky if the soup didn't run out before they made it to the front of the line.

we've all heard the stories of how dire it was in those dark years.

i was thinking today about what that phrase "freedom from want" should mean in the materialistic world of today.

we are so ambitious, avaricious, and acquisitive for "stuff"-----not milk and bread and meat to keep us going from one day to the next---no, no, we want designer food, mcmansions, desirable cars, and closets of clothes to cover our outsides to feel better about what we are on the inside.

wouldn't it be great to have real freedom from "want"?

we would be so much more at peace with ourselves and our lives.

so much more able to go after what we need.

not what we want.