Desire


37

Desire.


Desire can easily take hold of our life, whether it be the desire to own something that we feel possessing would bring us a sense of happiness, or the desire to be praised by another. It may be the desire to produce something that others will see as worthy of acclaim.  

The desire to feed our senses bringing pleasure, so often for a fleeting time, can so easily be followed by regret. Desire is almost always without exception ego-based. The creative person is never immune from such desire filled pleasure. 

Yet we are equally aware that so often the fulfilled desire to possess something is temporal satisfying but for a short time. It is equally true the easier it is to satisfy desire the shorter the time of pleasure lasts. 

We seek happiness, pleasure and joy, but find none of those is ours by satisfying desire.

The Tao Te Ching tells us, "The best way is not to seek good, but to allow yourself to just be good." Find pleasure in the simple joys of the natural rhythms of life.

Think of those joyous moments when you are alone and at your craft. How easily you progress as you follow without thinking of the lessons learned or the years that have passed in the pursuit of similar moments. 

 The opposite from such laughter-filled moments are those when seeking acclaim, it seems that it is not given freely and honestly and does not, therefore, bring anything other than distrust and pain.

Rather than a life of desire, could we find peace and harmony in the simple things of life? In such there would be less greed; where greed lessens, peace and tranquillity increase.

"In this way, all things would be in harmony," says Lao Tzu.



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