Buddhism has led me to reflect deeply about desire.

To try to eliminate desire is, in a way, to reduce, to limit the quality of human life. Unlike Buddha I do not believe that desire is in itself an obstacle to spiritual progress. What I believe is that we should know how to focus our desires.

To be ruled by one’s desire can be detrimental. But to be in control of oneself and to move freely towards that which makes us grow, towards that which is good, beautiful and noble, is part of our spiritual development.

I do not believe that anything can ever fully satisfy us on this earth, because our spirit, created by God, is always searching for God. Whether we know it or not, we are always running after all sorts of pleasures that can never be anything but imperfect since the only true pleasure will come from finally meeting with the Eternal. This is what forms the basis of Christian hope. While we are in this world we can, of course, have moments of total pleasure in communion with God or with other people. But these are still only moments which will give way to others when the awareness of communion is less strong, or to periods of frustration.

Of all our desires, do unity, communion, tolerance and mutual respect ever count?

Adapted from, Abbé Pierre’s Why, Oh Why, My God?