MP – Nice writing. I don’t often comment on threads like this, but I wanted to add my thoughts for a sec.
I think that what you’re trying to say about “seeing the bigger picture” means realizing that everything that happens to us is from Hashem and, if we understand that Hashem loves us and only wants our good, then everything that happens to us is only for our good. We often get wrapped up in “our needs” as you put it, meaning to me, what WE see as our needs. We think we need new clothes, new furniture, new shaitels, etc, etc, etc. Do we truly NEED these things or are they wants? Aizeh hu chochom? Hasomeach becheilko. When we realize that everything that Hashem gives us is truly all that we need and we do not have to worry about what someone else has, and just because they have something doesn’t mean that we cannot have it also, if Hashem thinks so also, but not everything that we see out there is good for us or even necessary for us to have.
Once we realize that we truly have everything we need, that it is provided by Hashem and that Hashem can provide everything for everybody without taking away something from me, then we can get out of worrying about making sure that we figure out how to make sure we get everything we need/want and then we can start looking to others and see if there is anyway for us to help them get things that might be helpful for them to have.
I hope this makes sense. It is hard for me to write my thoughts in a small box, but I hope you get the gist of what I’m saying. I don’t mean to take anything away from what you wrote and hope that I am only adding to it.