Desire and Aspiration

There are of course very different kinds of desires. On the one hand there is the worldly desire for material goods, name and fame, and on the other hand there is the desire to become a better person, to be more self giving and thoughtful. Sri Chinmoy calls this not desire, but aspiration - the desire to grow in something better, more fulfilling and to discover who we really are.

“A desire-intoxicated man, like Julius Caesar, wants to say to the world: “I came, I saw, I conquered.” An aspiring inspiration-man wants to say to the world: “I came, I loved and I am becoming inseparably one with you.”

- Sri Chinmoy (poems on desire at Poetseers.org)

Sometimes life feels a pull between two forces - on the one hand we have the life of desire - the Mercedez Benz and worldly appreciation - the other life of aspiration, is to live in the heart and become a better person. The one life gives fleeting pleasures, and at times can seem easier because everyone else is doing it. The other seems to require more self effort. But, the more we seek to become a better person, the more we appreciation the benefits of aspiration and the less we feel the necessity for countless desires. Indeed we often look back and say ‘Why did I have such a strong desire to be a famous footballer when young?” - the lives of famous people are rarely more satisfying and fulfilling than normal people.