Suppose we are driving a car through dark, difficult, dangerous terrain. To drive safely, we need the car’s engine and front lights both to function properly.
If we compare our life-journey to a car ride, desires are like the fuel that runs both the engine and the front lights. Here’s how:
Desires drive our motion: Desires make us move and do things. Just as a car’s engine determines its capacity to move, our desires determine our capacity to do things.
Desires direct our vision: Just as a car’s front lights illuminate the path toward its destination, desires direct our vision toward the desired objects, while relegating other things to the background.
Life sometimes takes us through dark, difficult or dangerous phases. During such phases, if we choose a desire carefully, it focuses our vision on our goal, pushing distractions aside. If, however, we adopt a desire indiscriminately, it narrows our vision, blinding us to things that are far more important than the desired object. For example, craving a drink, an alcoholic may squander the money necessary for their family’s necessities.
More subtly and even sinisterly, if we adopt a whole set of desires unthinkingly, we may not even realize that something exists outside the set of our desired objects. Nowadays, because the mainstream worldview is materialistic, we often adopt worldly desires uncritically. And such desires blur our vision of spiritual reality (Bhagavad-gita 02.44).
Once we understand that desires shape not just our pursuits but our very perceptions, we start giving adequate thought to the desires we choose.
One-sentence summary:
For our life-journey, desires fuel both the engine and the front lights — they not only drive what we do, but also direct what we see.
Think it over:
- In our life-journey, what are the two roles played by desires?
- Have your desires ever blinded you to something important?
- List three desires that you pursued during the last week. Did you choose those desires after due thought? Carefully choose three desires for the coming week.
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02.44: In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.
To know more about this verse, please click on the image
Explanation of article:
Podcast:
Empty mind is devil’s workshop, but empty heart is godsend
yes, provided the heart empty of attachments is filled with love for God.
In our life-journey, what are the two roles played by desires?
1.They drive what we do 2.They direct what we see
Have your desires ever blinded you to something important?
Yes. Desire to help others due to my compassionate nature blind me and distract me from paying attention to help myself, address, sometimes even forget important areas that are harming me pausing and keeping aside my self improvement.
List three desires that you pursued during the last week. Did you choose those desires after due thought?
1. Desire to go to recreational activity with group of devotees. Yes. I had chosen thought that with intention of connecting to devotees which I missed badly during COVID time.
2. Desire to watch Wisdom of Trauma Documentary movie. Yes. Although I am attracted to read only Krishna Conscious literatures, I wanted to act on my desire to understand mentally ill and depressed people.
3. I was trying to recollect if I desired and acted on anything without giving due thought. But can’t.
Carefully choose three desires for the coming week.
1. Increasing the amount of Gita I study every day.
2. Doing exercise regularly
3. Hearing regularly
4. Not to get distracted from the above 3.
Really loving this Desire management series. I feel very good not to come across desires that I didn’t give due thought. Journaling is helping me alot to chose my desires and activities accordingly.
Thanks for sharing your answers to the questions so clearly and candidly. You are the first to do this, and I hope it inspires many others to do the same.