Desire: A Compass

“The past is over and the future is not yet…thinking that desires are for the future blocks me from accepting responsibility for my present focus on dissatisfaction…”

“Often my desires are based on images of what I think I want to be… Is this a desire to do something today? If so, what? Regardless of the subject of the desire, what does it push me to do now?… This effect is what the desire is “for.”

Another quote from “Notes to Myself” by Hugh Prather.

This is fascinating to me. Illuminating. Desire is not about the future. It’s not about the ultimate vision I want to create, though that may be where it starts. Desire is a tool my soul uses to get my body to take action in the present. It all comes back to the present moment of now…the only moment that exists. 

And thinking desire is about tomorrow, rather than now, is a crafty excuse to stay in a negative moment. Or rather, to stay negative in the moment. Having the desire for something is our soul giving hints about what action would likely benefit us right now. If we take action right now, we lead ourselves to the vision, accepting detours or modifications along the way. 

So, desire is really about this moment. It looks like it’s for tomorrow, but tomorrow is only an illusion because every moment we experience can only be now. Desire merely gives us direction. Desire is our compass in the vast sea of now.