Friday, April 14, 2006

Meditations on Desire

At least I feel something. At least I know that I'm alive.

Desire is ultimately a painful emotion. Desire exists only when it is not satisfied. To desire is to want what you don't have. Once you have it, your desire is satisfied. Or, you still feel desire but only because you want it more. We do not desire what we have only what we think we want.

The worst desire of all is the desire for the unknown. Recognizing that you feel you need something that you currently lack, but being completely unaware of what that may be. Afterall, if you can only truly know what you want once you've got what you want. Desire is merely speculation: You think you have recognized what you is missing in your life: You think you have recognized that which will satisfy.

I desire love. I desire sex. I desire passion. I desire to be desired.
Yet, no one seems to satisfy these desires.

To desire is human. To want what is lacking is human. It is what keeps us alive.

Maybe...

7 comments:

artsmonkey said...

rent "before sunset" - they talk about this. the constant state of desire... maybe it's the meaning of life - or the reason to be alive, or the reason that we all bother living - is we all want something that we hope or believe we actually may obtain. be it a chocolate bar or a soul mate or a beach house or a cure for cancer....

Lindsay said...

once we get what we want we just want something else...maslow's hierarchy of needs.

bedroomprince said...

Isn't it also very Lacanian?

Warrior Princesse Alathariel said...

Man, if wanting is human, then I am ...like...a super human ...or something. Wait, is selfishness human?

bedroomprince said...

It is not like we want things for other people, Warrior Princess. So wanting and being selfish go hand and hand. They are both necessary conditions for being human

skinny-rabbit said...

Wanting does not have to be selfish. For instance, I want the world to be able to see me perform on a stage and be dazzled. That's a pretty unselfish want... wanting the world to be dazzled.

nk said...

Wanting is both necessary and sufficient for being human.