Regret and Desire

Regret and Desire (2016)

Letting go of both regret and desire is an instrumental component of living a more complete life in the Information Age of the 21st Century. The contemporary world is a whirlwind of information and possessions. Dark moments of a person's past and a person's internal desire to continue acquiring material wealth can blur his or her perception of the current moment. The beauty of the current moment can be quickly lost in a cloud of regret and desire. Too much precious time is wasted on contemplating what could have been instead of what currently is. In a similar manner, much time is wasted on contemplating the pursuits of unattainable desires such as unnecessary luxury goods.

A person who achieves the goal of forfeiting both regret and desire will appreciate the beauty of the current moment more than a person who is living a life stuck in the past (regret) or a life stuck in an imaginary future which may never come true (desire). Also, the pursuit of cosmic wealth (art, literature, music, aesthetics) is much easier when regret and desire are disposed of. In this state of being the creative centers of the mind are brought into a more active and lucid state, allowing for both the creation and the appreciation of intangible cosmic wealth.

Pursuers of material wealth (tangible goods, income, money) could argue that the desire for more is what drives much of the productivity in many economies, which is true to a degree, but a pursuer of cosmic wealth can say:

"At what point does the pursuit of material wealth drown out a life entirely?"

It is fine for a person to proudly work for a living and to be proud of his or her material possessions, but the dedication of an entire life to material wealth will result in an inevitable decay of the spirit.

Letting go of regret and desire is an instrumental part of allowing the human spirit to flourish.