Defining the Importance of Determining Our Desires
Remember when you were young; you had that strong feeling of want. Around three to five of age, you began to develop simple desires, either to own something or to gain permission of doing something. You wanted candies, toys and many other things. You also might have pled to play over the neighbors or go somewhere with your friends. Everything was so simple back then. You had so much freedom to think. You had the time; you were not too busy. You were enthusiastic thinking about the things you wanted. Now, it is different. We no longer have those precious hours, minutes and seconds. We have become robots engaged in our daily routines. This is especially true to college students and employees. Wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, head straight to school or office then return home. It does not end there. We also make use of our time checking social media for hours, playing games or doing other part time works.
Living in a busy world, our time to think becomes little to none. Psychiatrist Joseph Bienvenu says in a Johns Hopkins Health Review, “Patients with full-packed schedule cannot think, sleep or make time for activities to have healthier lifestyle. ” Even that slight breathing space has been gone, fully consumed due to overscheduling and to overworking. How can we possibly name our true desires? Time is neither good nor bad. It depends on how we use it. Like Buddhist teacher, Ethan Nichtem says in Psychology Today, any particular phenomenon or experience manifest as either wisdom or confusion, helpful or harmful, a weapon or a prison.
If we use our time wisely, we can be extremely productive and the other personal things we would like to accomplish may still fit our schedule. Otherwise, we use it for worthless activities like browsing the internet for hours then complain about having no time for personal thoughts and friends later. We become too busy; we no longer find the time for the more important things. Busyness kills not only our time but also our enthusiasm to do other things. We become less and less interested in determining our desires. We no longer care if our tasks have lessened and our schedule cleared-up. As time goes by, it becomes a matter of interest. According to The Economist article titled “Why is everyone so busy, ” there is no lack of time but only lack of interest. Saying, we do not have time is more of an excuse rather than having no time at all.
Sometimes, we really are busy. Most of the time, we just don’t want to exert the extra effort to do something we have perceived as irrelevant or something that does not interest us. If the activity sounds appealing, we will find the time for it. Heavy pressure we get from work or from school also hinder us from determining our desires. People around us tend to push us too hard. They want the tasks done before the deadline. Immense pressure makes us think only about work, work and more work. Do you think you can have enough space for personal thoughts? No. You will likely not consider the possibility that you might no longer feel happy with what you are doing. You can no longer reason out with yourself because you have become a robot program to do your daily tasks. It shatters the opportunity to ponder your inner thoughts, and ceases your chance to communicate with the important people in your life.
“When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another and ourselves, ” Jack Korefold quoted. Korefold warns us on how we can lose the more important things in life. So, let us not be too engaged in our work or school projects. Give yourself some breathing space and think things through. Unveil your genuine desires. Even if it is as simple as desire for a long vacation, shopping spree, new collection, decide on it. Short-term desires are easier to determine and to fulfill. Focus on this one if you are looking for relaxation or for something that will divert your attention from the exhausting repetitive tasks, even for a short while.
Long-term desires are also worth finding out. It will be more difficult to identify and to achieve, and sometimes risky to follow, even so, it brings more satisfying and rewarding results. Like realizing your dream, changing bachelor’s course, resigning from work to make more time with your family, but before thinking further ahead, you will need to consider this fact: you will have no money to gain but need the money to go after your goal. What you are doing now, studying a course or having a job, might be more than enough. At least, you have something to get you going. You have a course to study. You have your basic salary by the end of the month doing your current jobs.
If you think you’re okay with this, then let me ask you. Do you think it’s for the best? Are you satisfied with where your life is going? Are you happy, contented and fulfilled? No? Then do something to be… Be satisfied with your life. Be happy. Be contented. Be fulfilled. How? Simple. Name your desires and feel those blissful emotions. Don’t become someone who regrets living an unsatisfying life later. Become someone who does something to pursue those desires.
