We are self indulgent people. We try not to deny our wants. It is important here to distinguish between wants and needs. We need very little but we want a lot and then we tell ourselves, if only I got what I want then I would be happy. That is the greatest lie, we tell ourselves. Getting what we want may give us a short lived burst of pleasure but it really does not give us lasting happiness. Very soon the effect wears off, we do not even notice possessing these objects of our past desires. The only time we notice them is when there is a chance of them being taken away from us.
So after a period of time things of our want which we pursued so grimly sacrificing our happiness for them are ignored not enjoyed once possessed and then they become sources of potential unhappiness when there is a threat of them being taken away.
Some people say the solution is not to want. Is to be without want. Easier said than done, I do not think that I can live without wanting. So the what is then the solution. I believe the solution is to accept the fact that we will always want and not fight it. However recognizing that we will always want something and also recognizing that what we want will not be important once we posses it, gives us some clarity. We no longer consider it important. We no longer say, if I do not get what I want I cannot be happy or worse I will be happy if I get what I want.
I think therein lies the key to our being at peace.
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