October 17, 2012 – Need and Desire

It is rationality and prudence to distrust the supernatural;
but to believe in it,
is also a sort of wisdom.

Sri Aurobindo

(Thoughts and Aphorisms 85)

Need and Desire

How to know if things are really necessary, not desired? … For that you must observe yourself very, very attentively, and if there is anything in you which produces something like a small intense vibration, then you may be sure that there lies a desire. For example, you say, “This food is necessary for me” – you believe, you imagine, you think that you need such and such a thing and you find the necessary means to obtain the thing. To know if it is a need or a desire, you must look at yourself very closely and ask yourself, “What will happen if I cannot get the thing?” Then if the immediate answer is, “Oh, it will be very bad”, you may be sure that it is a matter of desire. It is the same for everything. For every problem you draw back, look at yourself and ask, “Let us see, am I going to have the thing?” If at that moment something in you jumps up with joy, you may be certain there is a desire. On the other hand, if something tells you, “Oh, I am not going to get it” and you feel very depressed, then again it is a desire.

The Mother

The Great Adventure 17