Whats wrong with desire?

Question

Some religions are totally dedicated to the supression of normal human desire. Almost all religions demonize desire, except Tantra, which goes the opposite way (maybe I need to investigate that one).

Look at what is produced by these religions. Supressed desire ends up translating into a endless universe of hatred. Ignorant people covered in diaper-like full body attire screaming rage and blowing themselves up.

Answer 1

There is nothing wrong with desire. I was celibate for a very long time because I was mad as hell at men. I now have a wonderful man in my life and I recommend desire wholeheartedly.

An irrational fear of sex brought on by idiotic religions is extremely harmful. Unless there is plenty of masturbation, there will be plenty of anxiety.

Answer 2

I agree with you, partly at least. From my point of view religions are all wrong like you say that's why there are so many priests abusing children and nut cases of every kind. On the other hand there is need to supress human desire, why?, because the definition of "normal" is very different for everybody. For me "normal" is a couple of willing adults having safe sex. For a rapist "normal" is forcing females or males to please him or her. "Normal" desire is not something we can take lightly and I don't think that by fulfilling every desire all of us have we would have a wonderful universe. It 'd be chaotic.

I don't agree supressed desire is a necesarily a bad thing if you do it for health reasons (like not contracting or spreading HIV) or because your desire goes against the free will of other people.

But I do agree with you, religions demonize sex and every single little desire you have, that's just dumb.

Answer 3

Desire:

Am still a new Buddhist, but will try to answer this sensibly, and reasonable.

The Middle Way's approach teaches to subdue = mentally control one's desires, whether they are desires for excessive food consumption, or for excessive sex, or any other type things which could become addictions.

Balance is the key.

If a person simply supresses, holds all their desires in, without cultivating a very balanced disciplined mind, they will (as you say) explode inside, and possibly do harm to oneself and/or to others.

Balance is Important. The Daily Cultivation
of Patience {Patience is the ability to remain internally calm, peaceful, and undisturbed in the face of harm and difficulties in Life) helps us to subdue, not supress, our unwholesome desires, and the end result is peace of mind.

Any extreme is unhealthy for an individual.

Balance is the key.

I am no expert, but this is my opinion.

Hope this helps a little.

Answer 4

Again, rhetoric.

You aren't thinking of desire correctly. Desire is an act. If I desire a piece of cherry pie, then I am setting up a pattern in my mind. That pattern swirls around and manifests itself in many ways. Some of the ways it manifests look like "I don't have any cherry pie. How can I get some?" Usually a void is created - you've created emptiness inside yourself because there's something that is outside of yourself that you want.

There is nothing outside of yourself that will help you. All good, decent, loving, kind, giving, trustworthy, evil, bad ornery shifty, illegitimate things come from inside you, not outside.

As long as you think something outside of you will make you happy, you are living a delusional life.

If you actually go to a Buddhist website and investigate a couple of things about the philosophy you will learn that it is all about quieting our thoughts, making ourselves a little less restless, and maybe a little bit better people - better contributors to the human race.

FP

Answer 5

This is false interpretation and not what is meant. There is a difference between natural desire for happiness, for health, that is charitable to all living beings and all creation; and unnatural lust and greed out of fear, envy or jealousy and false competition for more that is not healthy but unbalanced.

There is nothing wrong with altrustic desire for common truth, love and good. The false kind of desire warned about is selfish and destructive, not seeking equally for all, but for the benefit of one or some at the expense or disregard of others.

What the different traditions such as Buddhism and Christianity warn us about is not letting false attachment, coveting, or idolization of material happiness get in the way of the natural balance and harmony between spiritual and physical worlds. When we give up the false corruptions and delusions, then all our natural needs, desires, and will are fulfilled both spiritually and materially.

Answer 6

I think you're confusing desire with lust. Big difference. I don't know of a single religion that stifles desire.

Most faiths teach respect of one's partner. While most men want to just jump on their woman and bounce away. It really wouldn't matter if she were there or not. Therein lies the BIG difference.

A woman should be desired. Not lusted after. If you look at a woman and see beauty, intelligence and grace - and this makes you - well - hot, that is a good thing. If you look at a woman and see boobs and big hair and that gets you hot, that's a bad thing.

Sex is good. Read the Song of Songs in the bible. It's all about desire.

Chapter 1

1 Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth: for thy breasts are better than wine, 2 Smelling sweet of the best ointments. Thy name is as oil poured out: therefore young maidens have loved thee. 3 Draw me: we will run after thee to the odour of thy ointments. The king hath brought me into his storerooms: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, remembering thy breasts more than wine: the righteous love thee. 4 I am black but beautiful, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Cedar, as the curtains of Solomon. 5 Do not consider me that I am brown, because the sun hath altered my colour: the sons of my mother have fought against me, they have made me the keeper in the vineyards: my vineyard I have not kept.

Answer 7

Neither Christianity nor Judaism supresses desire. It does, however, seek to direct desire in the right direction, and keep us from becoming controlled by our desires.
To desire one's own wife (or husband) is a good thing according to Proverbs, and Song of Solomon, and 1st Corinthians 7
To desire to eat or drink particular things is also perfectly normal and good in the Scriptures.
The problem is when those desires lead someone to do what God would not have them do.

Answer 8

In Wicca, all acts of pleasure (with harm to none) are considered potentially sacred and certainly worthy of respect. We embrace sexuality as a natural and good part of the human condition -- without desire, none of us would be here, after all!

In my experience, Wiccans generally have no problem with the expression of sexuality between two consenting adults. This includes pre-marital sex as well as homosexuality.

Answer 9

--NOTHING is wrong with it , IF INDEED Y0U ARE IN CONTROL OF IT!

--What is wrong with eating or drinking----NOTHING , if you are in control of how much you partake of them.

--Was there nothing wrong with the monster Hitlers desires? NOTHING?
--He called the conscience a cimera(many headed monster) Do you really want to think and be like him?

--SO THEN, everything should be footloose and with no concern for the consequences?

---Happy desiring & perverting --If you can get away with it, for a while? I am not questioning your right of the degree of the depravity you wish to engage in, but why try to pervert others, does that give you some high?

Answer 10

Desire in itself is not wrong. It is when we do wrong things out of desire that it becomes wrong. If we desire sex, that is not bad. If we desire sex to the point of raping someone, then that is bad. If we desire a chicken chimichanga with guacamole, sour cream and salsa, that is not bad. If we desire it so much that we buy it so often that we don't have money to buy milk for our kids, then that is wrong. If we desire a car, that's not wrong. If we steal someone's car because we desire it, then that's wrong. If we desire good grades, that's not wrong. If we desire good grades so much that we cheat in order to get good grades, then that is wrong. Get what I'm saying? Desire is not bad. Squelching desire is bad when it makes perfectly healthy and innocent desires seem sinful and bad. It is the acting out of those desires in harmful ways that makes the desire bad - not the desire itself.