Inspiration: On Desire…
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” Epicurus
Inspiration: On Desire…
The Frogs Who Desired a King – Aesop’s Fables
The Frogs were living as happy as could be in a marshy swamp that just suited them; they went splashing about caring for nobody and nobody troubling them. But some of them thought this was not right; they felt that they should have a king and a proper constitution, so they decided to send up a petition to Zeus to give them what they wanted. “Mighty Zeus,” they cried, “send unto us a king that will rule over us and keep us in order.” Jove laughed at their croaking, and threw a huge Log down into the swamp; it came down with a huge splash. The Frogs were frightened by the commotion in their midst, and all rushed to the bank to look at the horrible monster.
After some time, seeing that it did not move, one or two of the boldest frogs ventured out towards the Log, and even dared to touch it; still it did not move. Then the greatest hero amongst the Frogs jumped on the Log and commenced to dance up and down upon it. Soon, all the Frogs came and did the same; and for some time the Frogs went about their daily business without taking the slightest notice of the new King Log lying in their midst. But this did not suit them, so they sent another petition to Zeus, and said to him, “We want a real king; one that will really rule over us.” This made Zeus angry, so he sent among them a big King Stork. Soon, the King Stork set to work gobbling them all up. The Frogs repented asking for mercy but it was too late. Better no rule than cruel rule. Be careful what you desire…
It is so easy to long for what we don’t have, while forgetting to be grateful for what we do have; skills, friends, material possessions, loved ones, perhaps good health. We desire to have more stuff even when we are in the midst of plenty… Desires never go away. We can temper them by taking a closer look at our lives… What really matters? What is truly important? What do we really need?
“We always long for the forbidden things, and desire what is denied us.” Francois Rabelais
Inspiration: On Desire… Jupiter & Juno
Let These be Your Desires by Khalil Gibran
Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself
But if your love and must needs have desires,
Let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook
That sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart
And give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer
For the beloved in your heart
And a song of praise upon your lips. Via poemofquotes
How often do we read about a successful or famous person who realized, after accomplishing so much, that they felt empty inside. They were overrun by their desires; they hadn’t expressed gratitude for their accomplishments; and somehow their true goal or life purpose got lost in the rush for more…. What really matters? What is truly important? What do we really need? More below!
“But he did not understand the price. Mortals never do. They only see the prize. Their hearts desire, their dream….But the price of getting what you want is getting what you once wanted.” Neil Gaiman
Inspiration: On Desire… Peacock
The Peacock and Juno – Aesop’s Fables
A Peacock once placed a petition before Juno desiring to have the voice of a nightingale in addition to his other attractions; but Juno refused his request. When he persisted, and pointed out that he was her favorite bird, she said: “Be content with your lot; one cannot be first in everything.”
At some point, we must make peace with what is and appreciate the blessings we already have. So when a friend asked me if I would name and trade places with a celebrity for a day, a month, a year, my answer was No. Do I even know enough about their real life, the one they live privately, to want to trade places? For all we know, it might be a nightmare… Why desire someone else’s life when we still have ours to live? What really matters? What is truly important? What do we really need?
Stay Inspired! What are your thoughts? Have you had a crushing desire lately? When was the last time you wished for something other than what you have? Do you remember to express gratitude and be content with what you have? Do share! Thank you.
*Please bear with me as I continue to catch up on your blogs and commenting… Thank you all for your patience!
Positive Motivation Tip: A desire can fire our imagination or ruin our lives. Be careful what you desire…Contentment is a wiser choice. Act with gratitude.
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos King Stork & Frogs, Jupiter & Juno, Peacock, via Wikipedia and/or via Flickr
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
Related articles
- Modern Mother Goose-On The Loose # 796 (Frog Time) (meinrhyme.wordpress.com)
- La Fontaine’s “Les Grenouilles qui demandent un roi” (The Frogs who desired a King) (michelinewalker.com)
- Humans Are Not Like Slowly Boiling Frogs … We Are Like Slowly Boiling Brainless Frogs (thinkprogress.org)
- Getting Old- Just Another Manic Monday (allaboutlemon.com)
- Deadly frog fungus at work in the wild (sciencedaily.com)
- Memories of Abusive Childhood Inspire Emotional PlayStation Game (wired.com)
- Save Our Frogs! (cometscorners.wordpress.com)
- Basho’s frog (awalkinmyheart.wordpress.com)
- peace (zendictive.wordpress.com)
- The Two Frogs (fragmentsofragments.wordpress.com)
It’s good to be content with what we have – but hard, sometimes 🙂
Quite hard… I agree, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded. TY! 🙂
The opening quote by Epicurus; that is the second time today I have seen it.
We do need to be content with what we have, but we also do not need to stop there. There is nothing wrong with wanting more, what does matter is how we go about getting more.
Lets look at money for a second, most of us want more of it.
In my personal experience, I happen to personally know a handful of self made multi- millionaires, and I also know I do not want to be like them.
I am all for fighting for what we want, but there is a line, to me anyways, for using any means necessarily to attain our goals. I will do what ever it takes to realize my goals, except hurt, exploit or otherwise use in a derogatory way people to get what I want. It is in my nature to be nice, the old adage “Do to others as you would have them do to you” are words I live by.
Quite right Jim, there is a fine line between creating goals and accomplishing them or just going for the sheer greed of things. I’m with you on your points and I know millionaires who are generous and thoughtful… I’m glad you raise these issues in your comment as this post is not about the need to stay starved, but to be clear about our motivations. That is important. The “Why?” of it all. TY for your thoughtful comment and for the re-blog. Like you, when I see something twice, I look for the message it is sending me. 🙂
A lot of wisdom there Elizabeth. I was so sorry to read of your loss recently – my thoughts are with you and your family.
TY Lorraine… your comment is appreciated.
I use to work for a billionaire and he stuggled with his health. I realized that no matter how much money you had if you didn’t have your health that it was a big deal. So I put health at the top of my list. I enjoyed reading your post it is a good reminder to appreciate what I have right now instead of always looking forward to what needs to be changed or maybe what I think I may want. These are the good ol days. :+)
You are so right and I love your line… These ARE the good ol’ days! TY! 🙂
Reblogged this on Where The Grey Matter Pours Out and commented:
For this Reblog Wednesday we bring you a post by Elizabeth over at Mirth and Motivation which is a great blog.
TY Jim! I appreciate the re-blog and your spot on comment… TY! 🙂
Love the Epicurus quote! I know from experience how important it is to appreciate what you have. Gratitude for what is opens the door to what can be.
Great post Elizabeth!
b
TY and gratitude is such a healing tool that more of us ought to use it… When things seem hopeless, a glimpse back to the good helps. Then we can and must press on with our lives and our goals. 🙂
True happiness lies not in material things. Thanks for sharing
TY C and well said. Our desires can bring us both bliss and grief… so we must be clear. 🙂
Like the way you discuss desire and gratitude together. I’ve definitely had those times when desiring too much left me feeling lost, and found that gratitude was what brings back the joy in life. Thanks for the post. 🙂
TY Karen… same here. It is so easy to get caught up in the glitter of other people’s lives and then we must refocus our attention to what truly matters for us… TY! 🙂
This comes to me at the perfect time, the illustrations and allegories so applicable. Thank you so much. I do not believe in coincidence or random chance, so I receive the lesson gratefully and count every blessing twice with a truly grateful heart. I am blessed 😉
And so it is… You are truly blessed! TY for your feedback and, you know, the posts are lessons for me too. 🙂
Very inspiring indeed! I have known people who think they will be happier with lots of money. Money doesn’t buy real happiness.
Well said Fergie! It is fine to be wealthy and enjoy the fruits of our labor, however, It is when we lose sight of our own purpose and fixate on what others are doing that the demon of desire rears its head… that is not good. TY for your feedback. 🙂
Eliz, this post is just what I needed today. Sometimes I forget to practice gratitude for what I have rather than look around every corner for the next best thing. Thanks! Miriam
TY Miriam… same here. We all need reminders. TY! 🙂
Desire can be a two edge sword. One one side , it motivates us to dream and pursue those dreams, on the corner, it can lead to unrealistic expectations that can lead to frustrations, heartaches , worse lack of self contentment. In the end, it’s all up to us how we let desire be for us. Inspiring post as ever. Thank you for sharing and for the recent comment.
http://thismansjourney.net/2012/06/13/weekly-image-of-life-happiness/
Well said. It is a double edged sword so we must be careful what we pray/ask for. TY! 🙂
You are our conscience 🙂
Oh Madhu Thank you for this comment! I missed it as a scrolled through… I’d say we are all each other’s conscience and guide, no? TY again! 🙂
As I grow older, I desire less. I feel lucky for having such a good family, job, and interests. At this point in my life, what more could I desire?
You’ve got it dear one…. Gratitude! 🙂
Desire for other things…always!…Keeps our minds active…the processof desiring is what we learn from…Grateful for what I have??? …Of course!…I thank God daily for the way I’m cared for…But, to not want to grow…to look ahead…to learn…to make mistakes…to share …to desire…would be so wasteful …Only know in your heart that what is actually fulfilled is what you will have to deal with…and accept…so be prepared for the journey…and be thankful for what is bestowed upon you…
Amen! I love your feedback and feel the same way about it. TY! 🙂