That is a good question, isn’t it? What do you want? If you could have anything at all what would it be? I know the wish I’d wish if it was offered. The wish fulfilled granting me the grace of gratuities from my poured out pants pockets would be perfect. The thought of always having enough to pay the piper makes me smile. But wanting money is rather shallow. The Bible does not say money is the root of all evil no matter how many people have misquoted it. It does say the LOVE of money is A root of ALL KINDS of evil. But who needs to be so picky about a few little words that change the whole meaning of the phrase? Do you really want to be rich? Honestly I wouldn’t mind it and right now I think I’d gladly trade the worries of wealth over the problems of poverty. But I don’t think that is what I want.
If you are anything like me you will find gastronomy to be a great gratifier of getting. The foods we eat and the beverages we drink can be a great source of pleasure, pain or both! It is so easy to let your stomach become a Shiva that both creates and destroys auspicious abdomens. There is more to life than the next meal. That being said I really would like a nice expensive rib eye on the grill now that the weather is getting nice. That would be good with some snow peas and a twice baked potato with bacon and sour cream with a nice chocolate mousse with real chipped cream for dessert. But I digress. There is more to life than that… I think.
How about the love of another? Falling in love involves the enhanced secretion of b-Phenylethylamine. This natural drug creates an euphoric high and helps obscure the failings and shortcomings of the potential mate. Such oblivion - perceiving only the good sides while discarding the bad ones - is a pathology akin to the primitive psychological defense mechanism known as "splitting". But then again it feels SOOOOO good! Who cares about all the techno babble? It is that feeling of love that so many of us want more than other things. As much as I love b-Phenylethylamine that is not what I want the most.
Perhaps it is the luxurious licentiousness of a Lamborghini that is your heart’s desire. The ride along the road as your Rambler rides like a rocket on rails is something to relish. Perhaps you are more of an Aston Martin kind of man, Mr. Bond. Cars are a creative confluence of testosterone and even estrogen in a few women I’ve met. But I’ll stick with my Nissan Frontier for now since I don’t feel the need to display my masculinity in motorized mayhem and will continue to feel that way until I can afford to buy a Tesla.
The real thing that everyone wants but few people realize is peace. The Hebrew word for hello and goodbye is shalom. It roughly translates as “peace be with you.” I want shalom! And I want it right now!! But something tells me it doesn’t work that way. That peace that goes beyond understanding is what we all want. It is worth more than money. There is greater value in peace than love or sex. It gives a greater rush than a Dodge Viper. (Not sure if it is better than a Tesla but it just might be.) But peace is something that seems to be fluid – not static. Peace can be with you one day and the next be as hard to hold onto as phantom flagman, a London fog or a pizza on the free day on The Biggest Loser.
The real secret to peace is not in the grasping and groping for it greedily. If we let go of the greed and gluttony for the greatest gratifications and accept the situations that have sat upon us then we will find that peace finds us. Like the butterfly that lands on the lover who lies in the lilies peace will be placed on the penitent with a penchant for passivity. For me it is time to let go of the greed and let the peace grab me. Want to join me?
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