Way back when the English language was invented, the word “want” meant to lack something. You would be evaluated and found wanting — perhaps you didn’t have the character or the skills or the knowledge, so they’d say you want a little training to get better. I’ve been up half the night and I want for sleep. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Nowadays we’re more likely to say we “need,” although “want” and “need” get mixed up all the time. “Want” tends to be used to describe things we desire that aren’t so important but would be nice to have — I want a better car, or I want David Rosenfelt’s new book.
My text alert just blooped. I want to keep writing, but some silly instinct needs to see what someone wants to tell me.
Surprise, it wasn’t important, and then I scrolled Facebook for five minutes anyway. I want the discipline to ignore what should be ignored until I complete the task at hand. See what I meant?
