So, I guess some pretty smart guys that were around a while ago decided that the root of all evil was want. Seems to make sense, right? A lot of things we all agree on as bad are associated with want - theft, for starters.
These guys were either less filled with advertisement and propaganda than our average consumer nowadays, or they were just smarter, because they decided that the solution to want was not ownership of everything, but rather the eradication of desire. Seems a lot easier than trying to keep up with the Joneses, and more importantly it won't bring the credit vikings down on your defenseless homestead. I see the critical difference in the achievability of goals - I am more optimistic about my ability to stop coveting stuff than I am about my meager chances at winning the lottery.
There are all sorts of tricky questions, though, which I'm sure these learn-ed dudes have already thought out - what about wanting good things? Like wanting to finish college, provide for your family, have a fairer world. Do we really improve anything if we try to get rid of those ambitions? Maybe we have to create another category for the more noble cravings, but in my mind a lot of my desires get emotionally confused and it isn't always so easy to honestly categorize them that way.
Some wants are really damn persuasive too. Experience has shown me that things I think are just natural or intrinsic parts of my identity are really just emotionally motivated timesinks that crop up when I'm stressed or pissed off or whatever.
I guess a good compass is the effect of our wants on the people around us. Generally, the "bad" wants that I give in to have a negative impact on my relationships and friendships. Some, on the other hand, either have positive or negligible effect. It can be hard to tell, still. And I also know about situations where we can get too caught up in just trying to make everybody happy, and that is as bad or worse.
I love to hate these questions. The ascetic > The rockstar. I can't say a whole lot beyond that.
These guys were either less filled with advertisement and propaganda than our average consumer nowadays, or they were just smarter, because they decided that the solution to want was not ownership of everything, but rather the eradication of desire. Seems a lot easier than trying to keep up with the Joneses, and more importantly it won't bring the credit vikings down on your defenseless homestead. I see the critical difference in the achievability of goals - I am more optimistic about my ability to stop coveting stuff than I am about my meager chances at winning the lottery.
There are all sorts of tricky questions, though, which I'm sure these learn-ed dudes have already thought out - what about wanting good things? Like wanting to finish college, provide for your family, have a fairer world. Do we really improve anything if we try to get rid of those ambitions? Maybe we have to create another category for the more noble cravings, but in my mind a lot of my desires get emotionally confused and it isn't always so easy to honestly categorize them that way.
Some wants are really damn persuasive too. Experience has shown me that things I think are just natural or intrinsic parts of my identity are really just emotionally motivated timesinks that crop up when I'm stressed or pissed off or whatever.
I guess a good compass is the effect of our wants on the people around us. Generally, the "bad" wants that I give in to have a negative impact on my relationships and friendships. Some, on the other hand, either have positive or negligible effect. It can be hard to tell, still. And I also know about situations where we can get too caught up in just trying to make everybody happy, and that is as bad or worse.
I love to hate these questions. The ascetic > The rockstar. I can't say a whole lot beyond that.
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