The mind-melting German series on Netflix, named “Dark“, was an overwhelming psychedelic experience for me. I wondered how the peak of creativity achieved by its team reached such a pinnacle that there is no return. The characters are depicted as interlinked and intertwined by their own desires, sufferings, guilt, and more, forming a causal loop of time that creates a self-perpetuating cycle.
My knowledge is minimal in terms of quantum mechanics, the God particle, wormholes, the bootstrap paradox, the thirty-three-year lunar-solar cycle or parallel universes. Again, I am not philosophically inclined enough to understand the concepts of determinism, realism, the triquetra, and free will clearly. Still, I gave it a try to experience the weaving of real-world physics concepts and philosophical dilemmas such as Schrodinger’s cat experiment. What I liked the most was the trapped, desire-driven characters and their struggle to alter their fate in every new cycle of 33 years. My thoughts included:
Is it humanly possible to change the occurrence of the universe?
Does the human race feel pain because of its uncontrollable desires?
Does nihilism drive humans to seek time loops in order to find a purpose desperately?
Does free will exist or not?
What I understood was that the series ‘Dark’ is not just about time travel, but also about impermanence and righteousness. The attachment to inner desires is like restricting the self to let go of the control and wanting things to be permanent. The craving for fulfilling these self-centred desires is shown to be the root cause of suffering, greed, conflict, anger, and frustration in the ‘Dark’. What piqued my curiosity was the psychological aspect of the desires, which creates endless cycles of pain and suffering. Let us dive a little deeper into that concept.
What are desires?
In simple terms, desires are the fundamental driving forces that shape the choices and decisions in our lives. Desires can be complex but are dual in nature. It serves as a driving force in shaping life’s direction, as Alfred Adler (founder of Individual Psychology) described it as the striving for significance. All our wants, wishes, expectations, longings, and cravings are encompassed in human desires, which drive our behaviours and shape who we are. Steven Reiss, an American Psychologist and professor at Ohio University, researched and identified the following desires, which drive us to take action and are ingrained in us. According to an article, ‘which is the only taxonomy of human needs to be empirically derived and scientifically verified.’
The 16 basic desires, the universal motivators of actions taken by humans are:
These desires represent fundamental needs, including a sense of belonging, knowledge, security, and self-reliance. On the other hand, desires that have a potential for destruction can be a source of suffering and exploitation. The counterproductive desires such as greed, addiction or obsessions are harmful, unhealthy and inappropriate. Maladaptive desires result in negative consequences for a person’s overall well-being. These never-ending yearnings create endless cycles of agony and misery.
“Desire is as insatiable as the ocean, and clamours louder and louder as its demands are attended to.”
– James Allen
Is there a way to manage our desires??
In today’s high-demanding world, it is not easy to control one’s desires, but research suggests that the more you feed them, the more intense they grow. The modern way of living makes it challenging to resist our urges. The actual issue is not in craving, but in the unfulfillment of our expectations, in the manner we envision it. Introspection and self-reflection can help mitigate the consequences of wishful thinking. Acknowledging hankerings can be fruitful, but not to let them dictate our actions. Recognizing desires as motivators, rather than suppressing them, is the first step in exploring your wants and their spiral loop. Once we master the art of managing our urges, it leads to self-actualization rather than anguish or distress.
I do not obsess over any of my urges. What about you? Which desire of yours do you think is problematic? Do your desires dictate to you? Are you aware of them?
Want more tips to manage the wishful desires? Talk to us/ write to us.
-Habeeba Waseem, Founder & LifeSkills Coach, MindsOnFleek