Absolute Value

I had been thinking about something for the past few days. I had been asking myself why is it that we often yearn for something so much, and once we achieve it, it loses its value. Last night, as I was going to check my mail, I stumbled upon a simple idea. I thought that nothing in this world had absolute value. I am not going to say that everything is relative. Rather, there is a supply and demand relationship in everything.

Firstly, the value of things is a subjective issue. I am not talking about how the value of a BMW varies from one heart to another. I am talking about how we value things in life as time passes by. A baby wants food, a boy wants toys, a guy wants a wife, a middle-aged guy wants stability, and a senile man would want peace and tranquility. Every age has its needs. Those needs only bother at that age, and not before or after. Its like looking for a parking spot during peak hours. The coveted parking spot means a lot when we need it. But if you visit the same place at off-peak time, that parking place doesn't mean much. Supplies are only needed when they are in demand.

It seems to me that before we get to a certain stage in our life, the demands of that time are already there. As old needs are met, the demands change and we have a new set of needs. Is there a need that never changes? Is there anything worth the attention of a lifetime?