SOME THOUGHTS ON DESIRES
“Desires”
are defined as strong wishes. It is the plural of desire which means a strong
wish to have or do something. Aspiration, yearning, craving, longing, passion, appetite, lust, etc., can be
considered acceptable synonyms of
desire.
The
word “Want” is not an exact synonym of “desire.” Our wants are limited, but
desires are unlimited. They can go on multiplying . The fulfillment of simple wants like food,
shelter, clothing, etc., is unavoidable. They are essential one’s survival.
Most
of our wants have been fulfilled by God. We have free air, free water, free
light, free heat, etc.
Whereas
wants are indispensible for survival, desires are not. They are superfluous ,
in the same way as dreams are not essential, but sleep is.
The
English orator and statesman Edmund Burke (1729-1797) said: 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.
The American short story writer,
essayist, biographer, historian and diplomat Washington Irving (1783-1859) believed
that every desire bears its death in its very gratification. Curiosity
languishes under repeated stimulants, and novelties cease to excite surprise,
until at length we do not wonder even at a miracle.”
Let it be nobody’s business to say that
desires should become an outright forbidden fruit. There can be several such
desires as can never be satisfied, yet they are useful as stimulants.
Finally,
this is what the Irish writer and essayist Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) said :
The stoical schemes of supplying our wants by lopping off our desires, is like
cutting off our feet when we want shoes.
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G.R.Kanwal
2nd September 2025
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