On Desire as a Propellant to Success

King Sargon: Is it true thou art the richest man in Babylon?

Arkad: So it is reported your majesty, and no man disputes it.

King Sargon: How became thou so wealthy?

Arkad: By taking advantage of opportunities available to all citizens of our good city.

King Sargon: Thou hast nothing to start with?

Arkad: Only a great desire for wealth. Besides this, nothing.

King Sargon: Tell me Arkad, is there any secret to acquiring wealth? Can it be taught?

Arkad: It is practical your majesty. That which one man knows can be taught to others.

―Excerpt from Geroge Clayson’s The Richest Man in Babylon

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Whilst the dialogue above is focused on wealth, the principles revealed therein could be applied in several aspects of life. The first question is “what do you desire?” or if you have set a goal for yourself, as yourself “how much do I desire this goal.” Every step towards the achievement of goals should begin with a ‘great desire.’ If this is lacking, nothing will seem right in the process of achieving your goal.

One may ask “what actually can desire do?” Desire can make you accept and endure pain in order to gain your object of desire. It can make your temporary failures easy to bear. Summarily, we can say that desire bridges the gap between you and your goal in such a manner that whatever you encounter while pursuing your goal cannot break you.

Arkad took advantage of the opportunities available to all men of the city. We can interpret this by saying that these opportunities were available to all men but not visible to all men. Why? Desire is the lens that makes visible the opportunities available to us. It is just a slight change of the ontic nature of the opportunities that makes the difference – “Availability vs Visibility.” Desire! That you may See.

The last part of the discussion reads “what one man knows can be taught to another.” I consider this as a secret that has been revealed. The opportunity of learning from every man numbers among the greatest wastes in the world. First, a recognition that each person knows and has something to offer. Secondly, the humility to receive tutelage from the one who has proven expertise in a particular field of knowledge. This must not be that which is obtained from teachers or lecturers in an official school setting.

With great desire comes curiosity, with curiosity comes the recognition that you know not and that there are people who know. With such recognition comes the humility to seek knowledge from those who know because “It is practicable, what one man knows can be taught to another.” Take heed, however, that you do not tilt to the negative in the course of desire. As efficient as it is when applied positively, so it is when applied negatively.