why do we always long for the things that we don't have?

I think a lot of it has to do with outside influence. Whenever I'm looking at stuff online, and I read all these great positive reviews about it, it makes me want it much more...maybe so that I will also experience its greatness or something, lol.

Hm, a very good question. It would make no sense to long for what we already have, hence our longings will always be for what we don't now have. Or...perhaps we're all just a little "fickle" that way lol. It's human nature. karen

Hello abitcurious, This is life. Some were not contented with what they had,and keep longing for things that they thought exciting or give them symbol. Some people are simple in many ways. Contentment is the main subject when it comes to longing. It is not bad to longed for things when it is really necessary. But longing for things which is unnecessary can lead into obsession and could be dangerous too.

Do you know the song Vienna by Billy Joel? There's a line in here, "but don't you know that only fools are satisfied?" :) I just remembered it because it's one of the OST's of 13 going on 30 and I can relate this song to this topic. However, I kinda disagree with him that you're a fool if you're satisfied. Hmm.. Anyway, maybe that's one of the natures of a human. We tend to long for the things that we don't have like for example in the color of our skin. Some Filipinos want to have a white skin because we are brown, however the white people want to get tanned. We can just be satisfied in life if we have Jesus in our hearts. We will never ask for more :)