"Last night, I wanted something so badly that I thought about it all night."
Haru sighed. After school in the library, just the two of them.
"Desire," Ren looked up from his book. "A long-debated theme in philosophy."
"Is desire a bad thing?"
"That depends on perspective. In Buddhism, desire is considered the root of suffering."
Haru was surprised. "Suffering?"
"Yes. You suffer when you cannot obtain it. Even when obtained, you are not satisfied and desire more. It never ends."
"True... even when I buy what I want, I soon want the next thing."
Ren nodded. "That is 'craving.' A state where drinking water does not quench your thirst."
Haru pondered. "So having desire itself is wrong?"
"From a Buddhist perspective, yes. That is why they idealize 'desirelessness.'"
"But," Haru countered, "without desire, wouldn't we do nothing?"
Ren's eyes lit up. "Sharp. That is the difference from Western philosophy."
"In the West?"
"Spinoza called desire 'the very essence of man.'"
"Essence?"
"The force to continue existing. Conatus. It manifests as desire."
Haru leaned forward. "So desire is the driving force of life?"
"You could interpret it that way. Appetite, thirst for knowledge, need for recognition. All are energy for survival and growth."
"Not evil?"
"For Spinoza, neither good nor evil. Just the force of existence."
Haru wrote in her notebook. "Buddhism: evil, Spinoza: neutral... complex."
"Nietzsche went further," Ren continued. "He affirmed desire."
"Affirmed?"
"'Will to power.' Humans essentially strive to become stronger, higher. That is desire."
"Is that good?"
"For Nietzsche, yes. Suppressing desire makes humans weak. Rather, affirm and sublimate it."
Haru was confused. "So which is correct?"
Ren smiled. "That is for you to decide."
"Me?"
"Desire itself may be neutral. The question is how to handle it."
Haru thought. "Depends on usage?"
"Aristotle taught 'moderation.' Neither excess nor deficiency, but appropriate measure."
"Appetite is OK if moderate?"
"To maintain health. But gluttony is harmful."
Haru began to understand. "Not desire itself, but balance is important."
"Kant said this: 'Let desire be governed by reason.'"
"Reason?"
"The power to think of long-term good without being swept by emotion or impulse."
Haru organized. "Having desire is OK. But control it with reason."
"One answer," Ren nodded. "However, reason is not omnipotent either."
"Eh?"
"If you suppress everything with reason, you lose humanity. Emotion is also important."
Haru laughed. "In the end, there is no simple answer."
"Philosophy does not give answers. It only deepens questions."
"But," Haru looked at the window, "because I have desire, I want to grow, to learn."
"That may be good desire."
"Can we distinguish good desire from bad desire?"
Ren thought seriously. "Desire that makes not only yourself but others happy is good. Desire that sacrifices others is bad."
"Balance between self-interest and altruism."
"Spinoza said something similar. 'True self-interest includes the good of others.'"
Haru took a deep breath. "Desire can become both driving force and destructive power."
"Depends on the user."
"I will face my desires. Without running away."
Ren smiled. "That is the beginning of philosophy."
Outside the window, the sun set. The flame called desire illuminates people, and sometimes burns.
But without that flame, people cannot live.
"Ren, is there anything you want?" Haru asked.
Ren looked a bit embarrassed. "...I want to understand truth."
"That is also desire."
"Intellectual desire. My driving force."
They laughed. Embracing desire, they live today too.