What Is It That We Want?
I have the answer: Satisfaction.
Consider the fact that when each and every desire we have is fulfilled, we all get a great “Ahhh” feeling. Whether you call it satisfaction, peacefulness, happiness, or bliss, for all of us, it is the same. No matter what we want, positive or negative though it may be, when we get it, that same, great feeling comes. We just have different ways of getting there! Based on our genetics, what we like, our upbringing, our society’s standards ‒ whatever floats our boat, and what calls to us ‒ when we get the thing we desire, the great feeling comes.
It’s a very compelling feeling! Everyone wants it. But have you ever wanted something so bad, and when you got it, you felt let down? Maybe you were initially excited about it, only to forget about it a few hours or days later? Perhaps you can’t even remember what those desires were? Do you have closets full of objects you loved, but can’t even recall right now?
Can’t Get No Satisfaction?
Feeling let down may have to do with the awareness that the object of our desires only fulfilled us for a moment or a short time. It could be that the object we received may not have been what we wanted after all. Or it may be that the dissatisfaction we feel is due to the fact that our true desire was in the journey ‒ defying all odds, the rush of achievement ‒ and not at all in the acquisition of the object of desire itself! In any case, once gotten, the shine fades. Objects attained ultimately do not satisfy at a soul level. We know this because we can move on to the next thing in no time, desiring again, striving continuously.
Getting to the Good Place
Mood-altering drugs will get us to that feel-good place, too. For some, whose desire is to connect with something greater than themselves, drugs may facilitate a spiritual experience. But, as Guru Maharaji told his disciple, Ram Dass, when talking about psychedelics in the 1960s, “These medicines will allow you to come and visit Christ, but you can only stay two hours. Then you have to leave again. This is not the true samadhi. It’s better to become Christ than to visit him – but even the visit of a saint for a moment is useful.” Then he added, “But love is the most powerful medicine.”
Where am I going with this? I want to talk about the love Maharaji was talking about. It’s no-strings-attached love. Pure love. The love that many mothers have for their new babies, or the love you have for your sweet pet, may in fact be pure love. How about your pet’s love for you? Unconditional. That love is the kind that lasts. That feeling lives in the heart. Our beings resonate with it because it is our essence. It is what you and I are. It doesn’t go away, and it lives on, even after physical death.
The Gift of Satisfaction
When we give of ourselves or our time to another being, without wanting anything in return, that feeling of love and satisfaction stays with us. It sticks to our ribs. It resonates and buoys us up!
So, in 2019, why not seek out more pure love experiences? Giving, donating your time or helping someone else, feeds the soul. Besides feeling good, it naturally provides a better and lasting satisfaction.
