Quote Originally Posted by Gregg View Post
Brings up another idea that we touch on often, but (as a society) we tend to ignore. There's an interesting, and I think important, difference between wanting it now and needing it now. If a storm is blowing in you need shelter now. If the tribe is starving you need to hunt or gather now. Pretty basic stuff. Once that kind of need was met there was usually plenty of free time for music, dancing, storytelling, creating art, napping, etc. The good stuff. We all know that, but somehow we've made the two pronged transition from "us" being the tribe to "us" as the individual and blurring the lines between what we really need and what we just want. That's preaching to the choir in here, but regardless of how tired the words can be the whole notion is still close to the root of a lot of evils in my corner of the world.
Couldn't you add an intermediate level between tribe and individual of family? There's been plenty written on the benefits of an intact family for the overall well-being of it's members. I find that "what I really need" greatly expanded when I try to plan for my progeny's education and launch into adult life, as well as hedging against emergencies and family support for life after work (or life after me). I'd be at a much different point on the grasshopper-ant spectrum if it were just me.