Evolution of desire and satisfaction
I am kind of blessed with so many inanimate objects that I buy or get from time to time. I am near my thirties as time progress such things do not give me as much satisfaction as I used to get when I younger. I am writing this article using my MacBook Pro, which I got back in 2014 and I still treat this awesome little machine as if it is just like any other computer. My desire to get a newer phone (even I know there are better phones out there) does not kick in. Back in my younger, days, I used to go Gaga when I used to get such new devices. My MacBook Pro is pretty high-end for a machine but I never felt the same when I got my first pc (which was a standard clone office PC) back in 1999. I had similar feeling when I got my first Samsung flip-phone with a blue display and a monophonic ringtone. I remember I used to keep on tapping my phone for nothing. When I was a kid, I used to own only 11 Nintendo NES Video game cartridges. For 2-3 years, I used to play those same games over and over. My mom used to restrict my time of play. Today I do have access to 100+ libraries of newer games and I hardly play all of them. If I wanted I take a little session of Destiny or Mortal Kombat X currently but that’s it. I remember I used to play a hell lot during my university days and even write blog about it and gaming in general.
As time passes on, by the bless of God, I got the capability to fulfill most of my materialistic needs. I guess maybe due to this fact, the challenge of attaining such things diminished from time to time. When I was kid, I had a hard time convincing my mom so that I can drink a glass of coke, from a 1 liter bottle that was located in a cupboard. It was indeed a challenge and I had to wait a day or two to achieve that pricey 1 glass of coke. Today I can just go out right and buy one and drink it already. Not just a glass, but 250ml, 500ml or maybe more. The challenge is not there. Similarly back in those days, access to many video games (in Bangladesh) was pretty limited. Coupling with parents’ restrictions, getting a video game was like getting an award after a long hard work. Today the restrictions are not there but still I am not into it because the satisfaction of getting such thing is not that big as it used to be. I guess I am looking for something else, maybe different challenges. My first day at school was like meh, I aint interested and never had the feeling that I stepped into the world of education, because that concept of thought never came into my mind. I used to think that my parents are forcing me to attend my school. The means of getting into school was not into me. I just thought its a regulation of family planning. The scenario changed when I first got my acceptance later into my university in US. I was somehow satisfied (note ‘somehow’), although I never liked the idea of moving to another country. Still the concept of moving to newer country with newer environment definitely posed me a challenge which I took it gladly. This challenge was indeed acted as a motivation for me to work through my graduation for 4 years. Oh yes I got my first laptop too which was a monster back then (and my satisfaction level of getting that was high but not that high due to my exposure of computers back in my early days). When I graduated, it was mere sigh of relief but then again I felt like I wanted something more and I was like I will be graduating anyway with no challenge. Btw the biggest joy I had during these 4 years when I passed my English competency exam after failing 7 times. I started taking masters courses and got my post-graduate degree with no challenge or whatsoever. I was never jubilant at that time, I needed something else which I was longing for a long time: a job. I jumped out of joy when I first got my job. It was pretty challenging for me to get one and my lifestyle changed right after when I got it.
People have this curious thing of having desires and how it changes from time to time. The level of desire becomes bigger if such desire pose greater challenges to overcome. Satisfaction level goes hand to hand with desires. I guess this what makes life so meaningful if people know that they have got so many challenges in their life to overcome. So what are new desires? Hmm maybe get some of business running smooth, get a new car, maybe get a girlfriend, marry her and set up a family. I am sure, those are kinda hard to overcome, but think about this if you have achieve this at least for the first time, how awesome you would feel. I urge every one of you to make a to-do list of your whole life and realize how many stuffs you need to do in coming years. This is make your life even more meaningful and kinda fun too in general. Of course there are hardships and you will try to grow the capabilities to overcome those hardships. Take your time. Its better than sitting and doing nothing, because doing nothing and having no goals in life might end up into the state of depression. You guys don’t want that anyway.
