Friday, 29 September, 2023
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Of Desire

Tulip Chowdhury

Our desires are like songs or melodies that must be played in tune for their benefit. They are essentials of our daily life, something to keep us moving forward, but they need to be balanced. In our self-checklists, we need occasional ticks on how our desires are doing, are we overdoing on some while not enough work on others?

As individuals, we sail through endless wants, emotions, and needs. Our desires are a part of being humans, which keeps us pirouetting like a puppet on the wheel of eternity. Wikipedia explains desire, "Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting," "wishing," "longing" or "craving." A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of affairs." Desires originate within our bodies before we execute them. To keep them on track, continuous monitoring of our daily habits count. The present world holds endless choices even for our basic needs. Beginning the day with a breakfast cereal or coffee, one can go for the pricy brands or stick to the affordable ones depending on the lifestyles. We may desire to look fashionable, have an expensive car, and have the latest smartphones and watches. Having the best of life necessities feels good. Some people are status quo; wanting to appear happy and well-placed puts them at the center of the social stage. And some people will go miles to keep their box of desires filled to the brim. While our desire to be noticed is the driving force behind endless sleepless nights, the way to the top places can be stressful. In the process

Humans, by nature, tend to delve deep into worldly goods that fill our happiness buckets, things that put us before the world as successful people. When caught in the chariot of dreams and success, pausing and checking on the end results is not easy. We keep going, inch by inch, miles by miles without a backward look. As Rokon, a business magnet, says, "Ten years back, I was too busy traveling for business and expanding my business to the extent that I hardly had any time for my wife and children. But when my wife caught depression, I realized that she had been under stress with kids and home way too much. I cut down on desires for business success and prioritized family. What is money without family happiness?"

Rokon's life experience is an example of getting caught in the material success that grew from many things, including the desire to be recognized. We want to eat something special because the craving is deep inside; we desire companionship, love, and many things that constitute life. We must have desires and know how we stand with those around us. As Napoleon Hill said, "The starting point of all achievement is DESIRE. Keep this in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat".

We can get caught with overloads of desires without realizing it for they are perceived as happy factors. The drive for them is substantial since there are promises ahead. Short term desires can come to effect with something as simple as to drink tea and going forward onto making it. They are like millions of things that make one ordinary day. Lifetime desires can remain unfulfilled in the long term, as a writer may dream of becoming a best seller and not being able to make it. And more, a desire without a leash, disregard on rights and wrongs can bring a person down. And one with a proper balance could bring glory.

In terms of relationships, desire plays an important role. It is like spark necessary to keep the flame of love going. According to a magazine from Psychology Today, "It's a want, a need, a yearning for someone or something that can consume your thoughts, energy, and sometimes your life. At the beginning of any relationship, desire is the fuel that propels two people toward each other, and it can be an explosive experience". There is a need for harmony and balance for relationships to work out. Desires and much more in relationships beyond romance, the yearning of a mother to see her children, the grandparents wishing have grandchildren near them: all those are acts of love with desires bundled up inside. Like many opposite forces of life, like laughter and tears, night and day, desires come with many faces. Among it all is the crucial factor of balance. As Robert Kiyosaki said, "The strength of your desire measures the size of your success, the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way".

 

Tulip Chowdhury writes from Massachusetts, USA