Defining desire

The past few weeks had been a blend of excitement and nervousness for the students of Grade 12 as they waited patiently for their results to be declared.

They were excited for the results as they were confident that they had given their best. However, they were equally nervous about their future, as it was the career defining moment.

Their conversations always attracted me. Many of them expressed what they would “like” to become while some of them shared what they “want” to do in their life ahead. There were a few who spoke about their “desire” for the future.

The usage of these three words - Like, Want, Desire - prompted me to pay more attention to such discussions. At first, when I heard these words, I felt they held the same meaning. However, when I gave it a second thought, I realised that there is a huge difference between these simple words. I realised that each word has a distinct sense of passion and a new tone of commitment which was way different than the other.

After hearing them for a while, I started to understand the significances of these three different words. “Like” was what expressed the tinge of preference in one’s voice. However, those who mentioned what they “want” to do had a much serious tone of commitment and displayed how much they wished to pursue their dreams.

And then, there were people who had the “desire” to do something special in their life. Their voice expressed enough commitment and passion to guarantee that no barrier can come in their way. They would eventually find an open door if they would find one to be closed.

I realised while everybody likes or probably even wants to do something notable in their lives, not everybody desires them. Thus, if we want to do something notable, we must follow our desire.

(Published in The Gulf Today on June 4, 2016)