THE WANT FOR WEALTH

Perhaps after school, or on Saturdays, or in vacation time, we work at tasks to earn money, or at least help in occupations that contribute to the “living” of the family.  Doubtless we have thought more or less about what we are going to do for a living after we leave school.  We all have a desire to own things, to have property, to accumulate wealth.  This also is one of the great wants of life.  We have perhaps already experienced the satisfaction of raising our own first crop of corn or potatoes, of acquiring our first livestock, of putting away or selling our first supply of canned fruits or vegetables, of buying a set of tools, a bicycle, or some books, of starting a bank account.  But after all the chief reason why we want wealth, or to “make money,” is because of what we can do with it.  It enables us to satisfy our wants.  Earning a living simply means earning the things that satisfy our wants in life.

Make a blackboard list of the occupations by which the parents and other members of the families of the pupils in the class make a living.

Make a blackboard list of things done by members of the class to earn money.

What is your choice of occupation by which to make a living in the future?  Why?  Make a blackboard list for the whole class.

THESE WANTS GIVE PURPOSE TO COMMUNITY LIFE

The six kinds of wants that we have indicated clearly account for many of the things that we do.  In fact, all of our wants are of one or another of these kinds and everything we do is important because of its relation to them.  We may not be ready, yet, to accept this statement.  We may think of wants that seem at first not to fall under any of these six kinds.  It will do no harm to add other kinds to the list if we think it necessary.  But, at all events, the six kinds of wants mentioned are common to all of us.  We live in communities in order to provide for them, and a community is good to live in proportion as it provides for all of them adequately.  It is these wants that give common purpose to our community life.

Make as complete a list as possible of the things you did yesterday (outside of school as well as in school).  Then extend the list to include the more important things done during the entire week.

Write the six wants across the top of a page of your notebook or a sheet of paper: 

Health
Knowledge
Association
Beauty
Religion
Wealth

Arrange the activities in your list in the six columns according to the wants which they satisfy.  If any activity clearly satisfies more than one of the wants, write it down in each of the proper columns.

Which column is the longest? which comes next? which is the shortest?

Is your longest column also the longest in the lists made by other members of your class?  Compare your other columns with those of your classmates.  Which wants seem to keep you busiest?