Part of being human involves a deep yearning for something beyond ourselves. Whether this is unique to our species or not, I don’t know, but we do seem to be uniquely capable of altering our environment in order to satisfy our yearnings. If we can change the world based on our desires, what we desire matters.
Human desire has led both to great discoveries and wondrous abilities on the one hand, and great horrors on the other.
Yearning for that which we are not is part of what it means to be human. The work of purifying our desires, and making choices about which yearnings we do and don’t choose to act on, is also part of the human project – and not something to be overlooked.
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