Desire of Spirit, Part 2

Mind-based and Experience-based Desire

Desire of spirit that is aroused by our own self-talk and mental images is mind-based. Daydreams and fantasies about things we want, people we want to be with, and things we want to do are familiar examples of mental images that can arouse desire.

Desire of spirit aroused by our own natural needs or in-the-world interactions are experience-based. Hunger for food, water, freedom, safety, self-determination, companionship, love, sexual pleasure, authentic interactions with others, giving to others, and making a meaningful difference in the world are examples of experience-based desire.

Life-denying and Life-Affirming Desire

Desires that hinder our own or others' efforts to become who we are meant to become, desires that injure or kill are life-denying.

Desires that promote, sustain, heal, and strengthen the living are life-affirming.

Yes, there are times when we must deny the life of another in order to sustain or protect our own life and the lives of family, friends, and others who are dear to us. Indeed, every life is sustained by the death of others. 

Desire Suppressed, Addressed, Expressed (Directly and Indirectly)

When the life-affirming desires of our hearts are suppressed by ourselves or others our life is denied and devalued. Some indigenous peoples, like the Iroquois, believe on the basis of generations of experience that desires denied are the main cause of disease. I think this notion is worth exploring further.

Not all our the desires of our spirit are life-affirming. Some are disordered and life-denying. These we do well to address. I think we have much work to do in learning more about disordered desires and how best to address them.

Ideally, life-affirming desires are best expressed directly and fulfilled. Fulfilling them affirms our own life and that of others. However, there are times, given unhealthy social mores, that we can suffer negative consequence for expressing directly our desires and taking action to fulfill them. We do well to find ways of expressing such desires indirectly. 

As with other matters related to our spirit, we have much to explore and learn about how best to indirectly express the life-affirming desires of our hearts.