![\"Lobster\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theoikonomist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Lobster.jpg?resize=300%2C224\")
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(That was a joke.)<\/p>\n
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The question of desire is especially apparent when we find ourselves in the tension between immediate and future consequences. In most cases, the more immediate gratification wins the race. (How many of us have procrastinated and then severely regretted it at the end?) However, somewhere along the line of our lives, we\u2019ve also been taught to play for delayed rewards. We do things that we don\u2019t want to do because we want what comes later even more. The most familiar examples are studying and exercising. We don\u2019t want to do these things, but we want the future benefits we think they will bring us. One way or another, we are still following the maxim, \u201cI do what I want.\u201d<\/p>\n
Therefore, it is important for us to consider how desire motivates our actions. Living in a world that is constantly vying for our desires, we need to carefully examine our habitual actions.<\/strong> We shouldn\u2019t make the mistake of thinking private actions like watching pornography or indulging in sweets aren\u2019t a big deal. They have the devastating ability to enslave us to gratifying our immediate desires.<\/p>\n Desires is a subject especially relevant for those of us who are fasting through Lent. As often happens, \u201cwho\u2019s going to know?\u201d or \u201cwhat\u2019s the big deal?\u201d pop into my head during this season. However, when they have, it\u2019s helped to ask myself, \u201cwhat is it that I really<\/em> want?\u201d This is why I think it\u2019s a great practice to physically write down the desires that we wish were more central to our lives.<\/strong> Going back to the lookbook and seeing the words \u201cto affirm one another\u201d \u201cto pray more,\u201d \u201cto be more present in the community\u201d is more than just a reminder. It is one of our first lines of defense against a world that is constantly bombarding our attention with advertisements, both overt and subliminal. It is a billboard of the ways the Holy Spirit is working in us. It is a prayer that says, \u201cGod, make it so that when \u2018I do what I want,\u2019 it is what you want, too.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There was a saying popular among me and my closest high school friends whenever we did something outrageous. It was our universal explanation for the inexplicable. Accidentally suicide in Super Smash Bros.–\u201dI do what I want!\u201d Attempt a half-court shot in a 5-on-5 basketball game–\u201cI do what I want!\u201d Out of nowhere, punch a friend … Continue reading Conversation #2: Desires<\/span>