Wanting

Wanting (things, people, whatever...) must have evolved to help us get things we need.  Food, Warmth, Sex, the new Iphone.  If our distant ancestors didn't feel some internal drive to get these things we wouldn't be here now, right?  So a Want feels like a hunger, a deep aching need to Get the satisfaction of that which we so crave.  You know the expression "I want it so bad I can almost taste it!"

Here is the strange thing:  that aching Want is actually more natural, more dependable than Getting.

I am not really against Getting.  I enjoy many kinds of Getting and I bet you do too.  A big smile from that cute kid you like, your favorite meal, the big present wrapped in the shiny paper.  But there is a big problem with every Getting - that moment of pleasure, that satisfaction of the Want is great but it is fleeting.  You know exactly what I mean.  Think of the afternoon after Christmas when all the presents are opened, or the evening after the Thanksgiving meal, or the last day of summer break.

The pleasures of Wanting, however, are nearly infinite.

We have all indulged in the exquisite torment of planning for what we would do if we won the lottery.  We imagine our perfect meal, or perfect date, or perfect game.  Planning a trip or shopping for a car (if you can afford it) can be more exciting than the actual trip or car.

Why is this?  Because Wanting is our natural state.

When we are young we want to be older; when we are older we want to be young again.  When we are poor we want money; when we have money we want "the simple life."

We are born Wanting and I imagine most of us die Wanting.  Wanting is part of living (and Wanting isn't necessarily selfish either, as most of us want good things for each other, our loved ones, humanity).

I make this point because I think we are misguided when we assume that we need to rush to satisfy every Want as soon as possible.  Slow down, and savor your Wanting.  Some Wants can be better than their satisfaction, and other Wants are never meant to be satisfied.