What Is the Desire for Infinity?
Our world is full of people who have endless desires and never stop desiring. But what does it mean to desire infinity? Is there really no limit to human desires? Imagine a world which is different from ours; a world in which no one wishes for anything, there are no desires, and no one desires anything. There is simply nothing to want. How does that make you feel? What a strange and lifeless world! It is hard to imagine human beings striving in such a world since wishes are the driving force of the heart and give it life; a person who does not want anything will be listless and depressed.
Now, let us return to the real world, which is full of movement, desires, and longings, a world full of activity to attain and reach, a world where before completing one task, we think of a new one. Sometimes, because of our constant desires, we do not feel calm and peaceful.
We all spent nine months in the dark and cramped environment of our mother’s womb, then we stepped into a world full of colors and wonders. But it seems that we still consider this world, with all its vastness and diversity, small and limited. In this big world, we are still not satisfied and calm, and we seek to discover other planets and galaxies. But do not worry, this is part of our human essence. We desire infinity! But we have no idea what that means.
The Desire for Infinity; a Desire that Needs No Proof
If someone asks us how much money we need to achieve all our wishes, we will probably start listing them in our mind. And certainly, after the initial calculation, we would realize that we have left out many things! It seems that in this world, there is no limit to our desires, and nothing satisfies us. That is why our desire for infinity needs no proof.
If we look at our own life and desires, we will acknowledge this fact. Do we set a limit to our wishes? Or just when we want to put an end to our long list, another wish or desire immediately comes to our mind? We just want to be awesome at everything we do. Even if we win an Olympic gold medal, we think about setting a record in the number of medals. We keep wandering through our dreams, which do not have an end.
The desire for infinity is fitri (innate) in human beings; it has always been and will be within us. In childhood, this desire manifests itself with the wish to have all the toys and treats in the world, and as adults, it turns into an endless wish for wanting everything we know. We want everything to be of the highest quality, and this wish never stops. Once we reach our object of desire, we get bored with it and long for something even greater.
As soon as we get into college, we think of entering higher education. When we receive our first paycheck, we start considering how to invest it. When it comes to choosing a spouse, we often dream of someone who has all the beauty and kindness at once. No level of knowledge can satisfy our desire for infinity; therefore, we are constantly trying to explore and make changes in the world. We hope that new ideas will satisfy our desire for novelty and variety. This feeling has no bounds or limits.
Unlimited Wishes in a Limited World
We have infinite capacity, and to the same extent, we have an infinite sense of need in ourselves. We desire everything, and we desire the best of everything. We crave more and more wealth, popularity, fame, knowledge, and so on; infinity is our only desire, and we crave it in everything we know.
Therefore, no matter at what level of knowledge we are, we define infinity at that same level and build our lives based on that definition. As a result, if we do not have a true knowledge of ourselves as human beings, we will be enslaved by the desires of the lower dimensions of our being.
But where does this desire for infinity come from? When our world and lifespan are limited, why should such a desire exist in us? It is a desire that has shattered our inner peace and constantly keeps us chasing after endless wants and wishes. Is there a way to get rid of this desire? If we try to suppress it, will we find inner peace? We explained that no desire comes to our mind without a purpose or origin. So how can we find an answer to this contradiction?
We often miss an important point: Not all the dimensions of our existence are infinite. We do not have the capacity and potential to receive infinity in every dimension of our being. Even if such a capacity exists within us, our finite lifespan in this world does not allow us to satisfy all our desires.
As a result, if we seek infinity in the lower faculties of the soul, we will get nothing but anxiety and restlessness. We want something that we cannot have, and there is no greater suffering than that. If we liken the capacity of the dimensions of human existence to five cups, each with a specific size, we can better conclude that we cannot pour an infinite amount of water into a small cup. Therefore, the small and limited human body and a short lifespan cannot contain an infinite existential quality within themselves. So what is the solution, and how should we manage this desire? The answer will be found in the following articles.
In this article, we defined the desire for infinity and explained what it is. We also stated that it is fitri (innate) in human beings. We discussed why human beings do not feel satisfied, and why they keep trying different things. Finally, we posed a fundamental question about why this desire exists and how to manage it. Before reading the next articles, please write your answers to these questions.