Taking only what you need

Had an interesting conversation with my parents this week (and by interesting, I mean thought-provoking)

Seems an acquaintance of theirs needed to have their (we’ll say furnace) replaced. When the service technician arrived to replace the unit, he suggested that the work they were having done qualified for a government rebate.

The acquaintance was offended by the suggestion that he needed the rebate. His response? “I don’t need it. And if everyone who didn’t actually need it, didn’t take government money, we’d all be a lot better off.”

Wow.

Now, I think the government needs to do what it needs to do to encourage behaviors that will help the country, but this guy made an interesting point. You should only take what you need.

It reminded me of the food shelf that is run by the organization I work for. Occasionally, someone will generously donate an extra large quantity of a specific type of food (apples in the fall, for example.) When that happens, the people who use the food shelf are allowed to take as much as they like.

You would think that when given the opportunity to take a lot, someone who is used to scarcity would take a lot. But, that’s not actually what happens. Most people take what they need for their family – no more.

Taking only what you need… something to ponder isn’t it?