Desire and Satisfaction
In ethics class this week, we’ve been talking about hedonism as an ethical theory - a lifestyle perhaps? Or at the least, a lens through which to see the world. By and large, hedonism is an entirely selfish approach to ethical decision-making. Yet it seems we all do it. We all make decisions based on our own happiness, with little to no regard for how our actions will affect those around us. Desire: it’s literally not something that can ever be fulfilled. The very nature of desire is that you want more. Yet we combine this with satisfaction. We believe, somehow, that we can fulfill our desires and be satisfied, that when we get what we want, we will want no more, that we will be happy, and fulfilled, and life will be complete. That’s not how it works, is it? My mother-in-law is at the end of her life. She has had cancer several times and it’s returned. She has macular degeneration. She stopped caring for herself but she did not tell anyone just how much help she ...