Anthea Wong, 18, Hong Kong International School It is natural for people to set goals in life and to always be desiring things. But too much desire will lead to suffering. Many people are hungry for power and money. This desire motivates them to achieve their goals. Unfortunately, for some, their appetites are insatiable. These are the people who will suffer in the end. For example, some people may achieve wealth and power but never feel it is enough. The result is they abuse their power and become corrupt. They might get away with this for a while. But eventually they will be caught, charged and sometimes even sent to jail. This is an example of how desire leads to downfall. Another example of 'too much desire' is when we set ourselves impractical goals that are impossible to achieve. Inevitable failure leads to suffering. For instance, we might set an unrealistic target to inhabit another planet by 2020. After years of costly research and experiment, scientists discover that the goal is unreachable. Their dreams are shattered and a lot of money is wasted. Desire may be a driving force for success but it leads to suffering. Matthew Murchie, 15, St Joseph's College We've all heard that money is the root of all evil. Greed is, no doubt, the culprit, and greed is simply desire. But I do not see desire as a flaw that makes us suffer. On the contrary, I would even say desire is the sole key to our success as a species. When people think of the word 'desire', they normally associate it with words like 'ambition', 'yearning' and 'longing'. I consider these attributes essential for us to succeed. The reason is that it is only when we feel desire for a certain reward or some form of repayment that we push ourselves to achieve. Regardless of whether the desire is for money, glory or power, it provides an incentive for us to excel in life. Of course, there are times when desire may cause a certain degree of unhappiness or suffering. There are undeniably times when people have a dream they cannot achieve, and suffer as a result. But we cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that desire has been a major driving force behind all development. This outweighs all downsides. This is why desire, far from causing suffering, is a crucial quality that enables us to create a better world.
