Cravings

even the tone of the word conjures up a negative aura.

yet we are all consumed by them, all the time.

we want this, we want that - we want it all !

as a child we wanted that blue bicycle or that long haired doll; as a teenager we wanted that stunning girl or a flashy car; as adults we want bigger homes and recognition or power ; as old people we want someone to care for us and then, it's over...

everything seems to change, our wants, our needs - that doll simply won't do at 70.

sounds like an exhausting life of constant flux !

yet we do it, all of us.   oddly enough, when we get what we have "always" wanted, we get bored of it and then want something else .. the car for a jet, the apartment for a house, the Louis Vuiton for the Channel ...

why ? because we are in search of something that will give us happiness

however, simply put, an inert object is incapable of "giving" us anything - its only value it that which we endow it with ... and as we "change" our value system changes - something so precious ( the doll ) can become utterly worthless !   we went through all that mental anguish while craving, planning how to get it, imagining how much better our lives would be once we had it and then worrying about its preservation and anxious about its protection only finally to be frustrated in trying to dispose of it !

such a waste of mental energy - such a drain on our very life force - all that precious time: gone !

yet, we start that cycle all over again, every day, with a hundred new cravings - one can only smile at the irony.

our physical expression ( body ) is drawn to the myriad of the world's objects
our mental world oscillates in the typhoon of our emotions
our intellect consumes itself in rationalization and trying to hold the floodgates in check of the above 2.

the fire of all 3 being ceaseless fed by the fuel of the perception of our world - for we all know we perceive the world differently and as such, we all go through our own hell of the vortex of objects, emotions and thoughts.

hopes, fears and cravings - our constant companions.

but i feel happy when i get it : really ?  look closely... all that really happened is that once the craving ( be it physical, emotional or intellectual ) is satisfied, the mental oscillation that spurred us on is momentarily stopped - we perceive this respite as happiness. in truth, it is a fleeting moment of a lack of agitation - big difference between the two.

within moments of buying the house, worries about renovations start - fights about colors and brand named appliances ; furniture has to be chosen, dining chairs are never comfortable enough, everything is too expensive - and when its done, someone will damage something, anger flares up - oh, the frustration of it all !  where has all the joy gone ?

we exist in a realm of fear :  fear of not having, fear of preserving / protecting and fear of loss  ...

yet all we wanted was to be happy ... is that too much to ask ?  not at all, it is your right to exist only in a state of perpetual joy -

so where did the plot go wrong ?   we all need things; we need money, we need a home, we have to pay for our kids education, we need to vacation - true, no arguments there - so we apply ourselves, we persevere - but where did the happiness go ?

well, first, you need to weed out the needs from the wants.
then apply a little intelligent self control
finally, with the staff of dispassion in one hand and discrimination in the other, walk though life knowing the difference between what is real and what is perceived : non apprehension can only lead to misapprehension - and that, is your glittering road down to nothingness.

a rope in the dark may look like a snake and hence evoke fear but what is there to fear if you know it is simply a rope.

raise your awareness, be vigilant against the deluge of the pair of opposites ( likes / dislikes, wants / aversions ) and most of all, discriminate between what is real ( constantly true ) and what is fleeting ( subject to the ravages of time ) ...  once you get an inkling, apply it your life and see the change !

these are several complex concepts all strewn together - if the desire to evolve is there, you can apply yourself, investigate them : convert the information you garner into knowledge and then into your own wisdom and if not, that's ok too :)

be happy and live well.