Why Do Humans Have Desires?

Desires are the inner material we are made of. More precisely, it is the desire to exist in goodness, also known as the desire to receive pleasure and delight, or the desire to enjoy. This desire develops constantly, from generation to generation, from one moment to the next, and it constantly sets new goals before us, making us think that if we achieve this or that goal, we will feel good.

In addition, the desire to receive compares what it has relative to others, and aligns with social values. We invest much effort in moving toward goals that society dictates to us. Then, after we achieve these goals, what comes next? How long do we enjoy those achievements, medals, or prizes?

When we look at this repetitive dynamic, at some point the realization emerges of the desire to receive’s limit in this form. At such a point, a need arises for something else that will be endless and renewing, like an ever-deepening reservoir.

Here we can begin the journey of learning about ourselves, our nature, the inner mechanism that moves us, the great system of nature that operates upon us, and the evolutionary process that places us on the threshold of a breakthrough into a new reality. If we understand more and more within such learning, the goal that we should aspire for will become increasingly clear.

Therefore, the desire to receive drives not only us human beings, but also the still, vegetative, and animate levels of nature. It is the force that sustains nature. We can see how it operates in the smallest particles at the still level, balancing forces of rejection and attraction. The desire to exist in goodness brings about myriad forms and ways of connection, which leads to the creation of life’s basic substances.

Continued evolution brought about a more complex desire to receive, and led to substances joining in more sophisticated ways. This is defined as nature’s vegetative level. At this level, we see movements, connections and separations, inward absorption of what benefits, and outward emission of what harms. The vegetative level has a more evolved discerning force. It directs itself toward power sources such as sunlight and water, and it considers the year’s seasons. On one hand, its existence is more dependent on environmental conditions. On the other hand, it enables a more qualitative and higher evolution. Incidentally, it turns out that plants communicate with each other, feel phenomena in their surroundings, and identify that which harms them.

At the animate degree, the desire to receive is even greater, and no longer suffices to be tied to one place. Animals move all the time, searching for food and other living conditions. They choose partners, build dwellings, and care for their offspring.

Then comes the human level. The human being’s desire to receive is no longer satisfied with concern for food and reproduction alone. We, however, must grow differently. We develop science and technology, culture, education, economy, and commerce. Unlike animals, which are completely instinct driven, we are driven by values that our environment provides, and thus we depend on our social environment.

Throughout human evolution, our desire to receive becomes more and more egoistic. It makes us build our success on others’ ruin, exploiting anyone we can for our personal benefit. Its most important concern is the feeling of itself above everyone. As well as exploiting other people to such an end, we also exploit the natural environment around us without any consideration. Such conduct today has already become dangerous.

Toward the end of this evolutionary process is a stage of soul-searching, which is called “recognition of evil.” We begin to realize that we are not much different to a rabbit running after a carrot. The only difference is that we run around for about 70 years, carrying out the commands sent to us by our ego, alongside the dictates of society, which is ruled by the wealthy and powerful, until we tire, fade, and close shop.

Is this our life? Is there a way to break free from this control over us?

These fundamental questions eventually bring us to the wisdom that explains how we can develop ourselves as human beings, and to discover the general, single force of nature, which is positioned at the foundation of reality. It is an inner engine that moves everyone and us as well. We can discover, understand, feel, and identify with it. By doing so, we rise to its degree, and reality becomes ours.

We carry out this inner journey according to a special method, in a small group framework of about ten participants. Each meeting is comprised of study and experiential practice. We share impressions, inspirations, difficulties, and questions, which become forces that vitalize us to continue marching forth on this journey.

We open our perception, vision, and analytical mind, and we learn how to rise above ourselves more and more, like climbing a mountain. Ascending to a height means that we exit our individual desire in the direction of love of others. Why? It is because doing so makes us resemble the single force of nature. Its quality is love, pure giving, and bestowal, and its discovery means first developing a similar quality within ourselves.

At every stage of this ascent we must change ourselves, expanding our senses, and the system by which we see, examine, and calculate everything. Gradually, we learn how to exit ourselves, to include ourselves in “the ten,” i.e., the ten friends of our small and dedicated group, and we absorb them into our hearts. We thus expand our circle more and more until we feel everyone as inseparable parts of ourselves, similar to cells and organs of a single body.

“The ten,” this small group with which we work on increasing our positive connection through common threads of love and bestowal, becomes a laboratory for inner, spiritual development. In this ten, we acquire a new nature of love for others through which we penetrate into nature’s depths, to the single, general root of all creation and nature.

There is no more interesting or powerful journey than this one, which leads us to connect with the eternal and perfect whole of nature.

Based on “New Life 74 – Money and Quality of Life, Part 2” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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