Desire And Contentment: Is It A Paradox Or Intoxication?
Desires arise but when accomplished does contentment take place?
“Desires arise in a contented person Is it a paradox or an intoxication?” — Preeti Singh
What is a desire? A desire is a strong wish to do or have something.
Quoted by Eric Butterwort — “Nothing stops the man who desires to achieve. Every obstacle is simply a course to develop his achievement muscle. It’s a strengthening of his powers of accomplishment”
Seen in this manner desire is very important for a person to be self-motivated to do something passionately. Therefore every person should desire to do something.
I had a strong desire when I was finishing high school to be a PhD doctor. But as all students are I also did not want to study after school I was fed up with getting up early and preparing for our board examinations.
However, two months later I was getting bored and I wanted to study again and I joined college for my bachelor’s degree in business again dreaming of a PhD when people will call me a doctor. I completed my masters in business and started teaching as a lecturer in a college. The dream of a PhD did not leave me and soon I was ready to be enrolled on a PhD programme.
I faced many hardships but I eventually completed my PhD. It took four years. There were no computers. Research had to be done by going physically from place to place, sending letters by post and waiting till we received the letters giving us the responses.
The thesis was typed through a typewriter. What I am trying to say is that the desire to do a PhD was through a driving passion of accomplishing something. I finally did get my degree overcoming hurdles and challenges. This is the power of desire.
What is contentment? Contentment is a state of happiness, ease of mind and satisfaction in a human being. When you are content, you may not desire more than what you need. Whatever you have is enough to lead a happy, peaceful and healthy life.
It is often said that contentment leads to the realization that joy doesn’t come from material things.
To take my desire of doing a PhD, satisfaction and contentment would be there after getting a degree. However, that would be a material accomplishment.
Desire and contentment Paradox or Intoxication? Desires are often seen as something to be despised and loathed. People who have desires should try to look for peace and bring their desires down and try to become contented.
The state of contentment is when people feel they have reached their ultimate goal and do not need to further any more goals.
The way desire is described is that it is a strong feeling or wish that something should be fulfilled. It may be more than a wish, we could equate it with longing.
Is desire a bad thing? A thoughtless desire to harm another person is actually not considered to be good. It can also be a desire to see someone happy. Will you call that to be something that is not good?
Desire cannot always be bad. It is like if you desire then you have an expectation for self-improvement but if you are only contented and never desire anything you will continue to remain in the same state consciously with no change in your life.
It is always good to desire something because it makes you passionate to reach your ultimate goal. You have a will to do something.
A contented person is satisfied with the way he is and does not want to change. He has no passion to do something. To seek God also need passion. To reach a journey of holiness you must desire to do so.
If you have no desires there will be no intoxication to the commitment of satisfaction that you have arrives at your goal of contentment.
“To be content doesn’t mean you don’t desire more, it means you’re thankful for what you have and patient for what’s to come.” Tony Gaskins
To recapitulate
- Desire is not bad. It is an expectation of oneself to attain something in life.
- A desire creates a passion and the will to be able to do things.
- To reach satisfaction and contentment you have to struggle and accept challenges and find a way to attain your goal. I completed my PhD without computers and toiled physically to reach the goal of contentment.
- Desire and contentment are not contradictory. They are complementary in nature. Desire creates passion and will and attains contentment.
- Contentment affects the mental health of a person in a positive manner by bringing peace and happiness.
Contentment is a stage where desires, thoughts, expectations are aligned to find fulfilment to become happy and satisfied.
Contentment arises leading to happiness and eudaimonia by being thankful for what you have.
Desire is the intoxication of contentment.