Appetites Which Can Never Be Satisfied

Alan Watts in his book, The Wisdom of Insecurity, writes that we have, “… appetites which can never be satisfied—so designed that if you try to allay them finally and fully in one big ‘bust,’ you get sick.” (p, 39-40). Evagrius, the 4th century monk, spoke of 8 passions, with which we need to be cautious, and the first one he mentioned was gluttony. Those ‘appetites’ or ‘passions’ are not only related to food; they also involve our appetite or passion for money, power, influence, security, safety, etc. That list is endless. It is not that these things are bad or evil in themselves; the problem with them is that they can never be fully satisfied. If we are not careful with them, their drive, push, pull, etc. can make us ‘sick’ not only physically but, also, mentally, emotionally, socially, financially, spiritually, etc. Out task, so it seems to me, is to discern ‘how much is enough.’ That question of ‘how much is enough’ is a soul question rather than an ego question. When we have a sense of how much is enough, contentment and peace become a gift.