Desire

 Desire

Humans do nothing outside of desire. Even when being asked, directed, or ordered to do something, we respond out of our desire to either please the one asking, respect the authority of the one directing, or avoid the pain or consequence of disobeying the order. When I was in high school, my friend and I use to have conversations like the following:

“There are only two things certain in life: death and taxes.”

“Actually, that is not accurate. You don’t have to pay taxes. You could choose, instead, to be imprisoned for lack of payment.”

“And it you believe in the second-coming of Christ, you may not actually see death.”

“So, is there anything absolutely mandatory which we have to do regardless of any desire?”

“Yes. You must be conceived; otherwise, you never existed.”

“And, you must face judgement.”

Outside of these two things, everything we do is driven by desire. Even as a small child, although unaware of the conscious thought, we cry because we are hungry, sleepy, messy, etc. Once we become aware or our existence, we begin to develop our desire to the point of planning or scheming ways to obtain the thing desired.

As we mature, we become capable of controlling our desire-driven behavior by making conscious choices. The goals behind these choices are determined by our mindset regarding our moral standard, economic goals, relationships, etc. The unhealthy side of this results in choices driven by desires fueled by vices, fear, lack of self-control, low self-esteem, etc.

The difference humans have over many of the other animals is the ability to reason. This word is even a misnomer. Reason is defined as, “think, understand, and form judgments by a process of logic.” Much of human behavior is illogical due to desire. It causes us to make short-sighted decisions or spur of the moment choices. Most of these are harmless, but some result in life-changing moments.

The most important activity we can engage in is the process of taking notice of our desires. Whether you want to or not, you will move in the direction of your desires. However, you have the ability inside you to choose your desires; or at least choose the ones you respond to. We also have the ability to change our thinking when we realize our current desire-driven habits are taking us in an unacceptable direction. Steven Covey described these moments of becoming self-aware as a “paradigm shift.” Some call it “having an epiphany.” Regardless of the label, when these “ta da” moments come, they become an intersection in our life-journey. We have to make a choice which, by default, will eliminate other possible courses for our journey.

It takes courage to choose, but even not choosing is a choice. It means you will continue on the current path. Don’t live your life on autopilot. Make intentional choices. Live life on purpose. Enjoy the journey.