WHY THIS CONTRADICTION? — Endless Desires And Limited Fulfilment

WHY THIS CONTRADICTION? Endless Desires and Limited Fulfilment Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822) was an English poet. He wrote: Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought. T HIS is a common experience. Everyone likes sad stories and tragic songs. The most famous novels are ones that are tragic, not funny. Similarly, a singer who can sing the songs in a painful or plaintive tone often gains most prominence. What is the reason that sad stories, poems or songs hold this appeal of reaching out to people’s hearts? The reason for this is that every person usually lives in the psyche of non-fulfillment of desires and a sense of deprivation. Under such circumstances, happiness seems unreal,while misery seems real. Studies reveal that Man is a 'pleasure-seeking animal.’ In this vast universe, Man is an exceptional creature in every sense. He alone has the ability to feel pleasure. A unique gift to man given by his Creator is his ability to sense a wide variety of emotions and to enjoy them. The objects of enjoyment of Man’s desires are unlimited. But Man has a limited capacity to enjoy them. To think, to hear, to speak and to see and so on are all delights for man; moreover, to eat, to drink, to smell, to touch are all pleasures that man can avail of. But there arises a strange contradiction here. Man has an immense desire for pleasure, present within him, but to fully experience this in this world is not possible for him. Man amasses wealth, achieves status, power and pomp, builds a lavish house for himself and wallows in luxury. But when he is done with all this, he realizes that between him and his enjoyment a definite barrier remains. He is not able to gain satisfaction from any luxury or material comfort. All objects of luxury fail to give him genuine peace and happiness. The objects of enjoyment of Man’s desires are unlimited. But Man has