Join us to nourish and be nourished by others.

We (you) are a group of curious folks who gather together occasionally for nourishment and inspiration. We share food and conversation, laughter and questions. We leave all the personal and worldly problems and worries at the door, and savor community and connection. Who knows? This may be the solution to all our problems after all!

Each meeting convenes around a specific topic and suggested questions to explore and seed the conversation. No required reading. Just bring an open mind and heart. And a dish to share. Vegetarian options encouraged!

April’s topic: DESIRE    (Past topics: Religion, Resilience, Livelihood, Anger, Magic)

You know you want it, you long for it, you crave it, you pine after it, you aspire to it, you covet it, you fancy it, you wish for it, you are hell bent on getting it, you’d die for it . . .

Desire is derived from the Latin de sidere, “from the stars.”  So you might say desire means “to await what the stars will bring.”  According to the Hindu creation story (in the Rig Veda), the universe began not with light, but with desire, “the primal seed and germ of Spirit.” 

Here are some questions to consider:

1. What are some of the positive qualities and outcomes of desire?
2. What are some of the negative consequences of desire?
3. The Second Noble truth in Buddhism tells us that suffering is caused by desire and attachment to desire.  Do you agree?
4. Yet isn’t the aspiration to have no desires a desire in itself?  What do you make of this paradox?
5. How does desire motivate us?  (The words motivation and emotion both derive from the Latin movere, “to move.”)
6. How does desire give our lives direction and meaning?

Please RSVP by April 13 to bshulman@bates.edu.