LIMIT YOUR DESIRES

 

LIMIT YOUR DESIRES

A ‘desire’ is a strong wish to have or do something. What is desirable is that one would like to have or do or what is worth having and doing. The proverb :  First deserve then desire ‘  also needs consideration.

What is desirable is morally and materially good, useful, agreeable, admirable, worthwhile, attractive, essential, sought-after and beneficial.

Some desires are like needs, wants and necessities which must be fulfilled to keep body and soul together. For example, water, food, clothing and shelter are indispensable wants. They are not luxuries. Wine is a luxury, so is ice-cream. They are not essential for life.

There are countless desires for humans to entertain. But they are not a source of joy or happiness. They create dissatisfaction. Only necessary desires bring peace of mind. Put your faith in the proverbs: “Simple living and high thinking “ and “Cut your coat according to your cloth” and be happy.  

The more you have, the more you want is a troublesome situation. Be contented. There lies your peace of mind. Greed is a curse.

Rome’s accomplished poet and philosopher Cicero (106 BC-43BC) says the thirst of desire is never filled, nor fully satisfied.

According to the  English orator and statesman Edmund Burke (1720-97) : “Those things that are not practicable are not desirable. There is nothing in the world really beneficial that does not lie within the reach of an informed understanding and a well-protected pursuit. There is nothing that God has judged good for us that he has not given us the means to accomplish, both in the natural and the moral world. If we cry, like children, for the moon, like children we must cry on.”

Finally, this true desire quote: “True desire in the heart for anything is proof that God already meant for it to be yours. “

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G.R.Kanwal

23 September 2024