132 OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE
I want never gets ‘I want it!’—perhaps the first sentence we use as infants. The well brought up child soon learns the automatic parental response—‘I want never gets; say ‘‘Please may I have?’’’ The verb ‘to want’ reflects a basic need of all living organisms described by the noun ‘want’, derived from the Old Norse, vanta or lack. For many people, want of the fundamental necessities of life, water, food and family support is a reality. As children in the 1940s, we were admonished to eat up and remember the starving children in China; even then we were well off compared with most of the world’s people. Our parents provided us with other things that indicated that the world surrounding us was rich in treasures there for the asking. ‘I want’ became a test of the extent of this provision; to want had become to covet (Old French, coveitier from Latin, cupiditas, desire or longing). I see this change occurring in my grandchildren around the age of 6 months, as they explore the world around them. Reflex grasping and turning towards the mother’s breast is transferred to other new and interesting objects that are tested for taste and feel. Many children now have a full set of grandparents who can be trained to provide further delights. How unsurprising that by the time Mrs Thatcher came to power a generation was conditioned to expect more than their parents had ever dreamed of. To covet had become acceptable; to some, even greed was good. Perhaps this conversion of want to covet is hard-wired into us. However, like most genetic determinants, it can be modified by our environment, as recognized in all faiths. Nevertheless, covetousness is the primary motivation of capitalism, leading to competition for resources. For the last 250 years, the world’s economy has been driven by this basic urge. In Adam Smith’s time, resources of water, iron and coal were unlimited and the possibility of increasing national prosperity was obvious. Malthus pointed to the dangers of overpopulation but agriculture kept pace and the population of these islands increased, although shortages still brought episodic starvation. The West led the world in economic growth and exploitation of the world’s resources. Having plundered the world to satisfy our own covetousness, we cannot be surprised that less favoured nations aspire to emulate us. But now, we know that resources are not infinite and our capacity to absorb waste is close to saturation. The lesson taught by Malthus has not been heeded and the world’s population has reached the point at which its needs for energy and food are unlikely to be satisfied. Covetousness is being replaced again by want. Can we restrict freedom to reproduce and to plunder the Earth while entering into international agreements to decelerate economic growth? History suggests that we cannot but that nature will do it for us. Want of water, food and energy with accompanying war and plagues were known to the ancient Egyptians and the Israelites and ever since then have determined the course of the tribes of mankind. Now these wants are global. Anthony Seaton e-mail:
[email protected]
Downloaded from http://occmed.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on March 10, 2016
doi:10.1093/occmed/kqn118
