329. Desires And Needs

I feel a strong need for something, but I cannot have it right away. I have to think about how to get it, and through practical reasoning, come up with a plan to obtain it. Once I have a plan, I also form an intention to carry it out, which is a kind of desire.

At this point, it’s easy to become confused. I know that I have to meet my need, and I might think I should do so by fulfilling my desire. The desire might even feel more compelling than the need, because it is definite, clear, and tells me exactly what to do. I like the certainty the desire provides, so I give myself over to it and I allow it to take control.

328. Unjustified Love

He doesn’t know why she always asks him to tell her why he loves her. Maybe it’s because she has doubts about the strength of his love or its durability. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t understand why he loves her out of all the people in the world. Maybe it’s because she likes to hear him give her reasons so that she can feel more worthy and deserving of his love.

327. To (Not) Understand

When we first encounter a complicated artwork, confusion can dominate. We aren’t sure what the piece is supposed to be or what it is trying to tell us. Questions come to mind, but no answers. If we cannot tolerate these questions we might move quickly to judgment: we decide that the artwork has no value because we cannot see any in it.

In some cases, we might go further, and declare that the apparent absence of value means that the piece was created badly and lacks merit. And if this judgment persists over time, we might extend it to cover all art of a similar type, thereby excluding it from further consideration.

326. The Human Superpower

Our ability to reflect is powerful. We can see ourselves in the context of the past we remember and the possible futures we imagine, which allows us to judge our past actions and plan our future actions accordingly. We use this power to develop sophisticated knowledge of the world, which in turn allows us to create complex technologies that further expand our abilities. The benefits of doing so are undoubtedly good, but with them comes a serious cost.

325. What Must Be Shared

The artist is someone who notices. In a world that often appears to offer nothing new, the artist sees something that stands out. This special piece of reality has escaped the attention of others, but the artist sees value in it.

Having discovered value, the artist feels deeply that it must be shared and seen. The beauty of the thing remaining forever unnoticed by others would be too painful for the artist to bear. The artist understands that keeping this gem private would not be to gain something but to suffer a terrible loss.

324. Effective Arguments

When someone is wrong about something, I want to help them see the truth. I want to do this because I believe knowing the truth is an important part of living well.

To convince the other of their error, I offer them clear arguments based on facts and evidence. But to my surprise, they resist my arguments and supply counterarguments of their own. In response, I try to pile on more facts and evidence, countering every counter with an even better argument.

323. Romantic Joy

The only thing that truly excites her is romance. Most of her life is not romantic. Most of it is like washing dishes. Dirty dishes have to be cleaned, rinsed, and dried. But clean dishes do not stay clean for long. They get used again and the whole process repeats. Ordinary life for her is just this repetition of the same tasks, day in, day out.

But when there is romance everything changes. Romance means tension between two living beings, each pulling the other in its own way, each striving for the life it desperately wants. The intricacy of the tension means that something new and exciting is always happening.

322. Intended Futures

Even the best intentions can produce suffering. Even when our desires and beliefs are perfectly aligned with principles of care, consideration, and cooperation, we can suffer because of them.

Intentions are future-oriented entities. They are formed by judgments we make about how we want our future to be. When we act primarily on our intentions, we also become future-oriented. Our every moment is then consumed by thoughts and feelings about how our future will be and how it might differ from the ideal constructed by our intentions. This happens because we easily become attached to our intentions.

321. A Culture Of Giving

We want to get what we want because we think it will make us feel better. Our rational goal is happiness, which we expect to achieve through the satisfaction of our desires. To get there, we will do whatever we have to do.

Recognizing this, those with power construct systems that motivate us to do what they want in order to get what we want. The fairness (or lack thereof) of these systems is irrelevant — if following their incentives is the only way to satisfy our desires then we will follow them. It is only logical for us to do so if we want to be happy.