Desire: Friend or Foe?

It happens all to frequently I'm afraid. I find myself dreading exercise, knowing that I should engage in it for my betterment, all the while, desiring to be doing something else. I am sitting to write this only because I actually should be exercising at this very moment. I realize that I should probably question my lack of desire. Am I lazy? Am I taking my health for granted? The issue of one's desire is an interesting study.

The forceful levels of human consciousness have directed us to examine shame, guilt, apathy, grief and last week we looked at fear. Therein we found that fear is the first of the forceful levels of life to bring a more positive energy (mixed with the negatives as well). Desire is the next level of forceful human consciousness that brings with it slightly more positive energy than fear. While we know that marketers count on our fear, they also count on our desires and play into them left and right with their advertisements for the shiny new cars, the fancy homes, the fun experiences of adventure, vacation or just imbibing alcohol with friends. They know that none of us are without our desires. The question is what relationship do we have with desire?

If we have a desire for anything--food, alcohol, drugs, monetary status, professional prestige--we are driven at this stage to achieve it. That can be a truly positive thing and can lead us toward excellence. It is that want that can energize us toward achievement but that same want can be the thing that drives us toward addictions of all sorts. The negative side of this level of life is that we find ourselves craving our desires. We value them more than we should. In some cases, we place more value on them than we place on the gift of our lives. The sad part of this stage of life is that no matter what we do or what we achieve, we are never satisfied.

Maybe you know people like that--people who walk that very thin line between achieving something with detachment versus pursuing something with insatiability. Maybe you have been or are that person if you look honestly at yourself. This level can rocket us toward higher less forceful ways of being in the world or it can destroy us. The question remains . . . what relationship do we have with desire?

We'll each answer the question in our own ways but for now, my answer is driving me toward honoring my exercise! :) Here's hoping that desire can be our friend and not our foe!