On my desk, I have a pen that has a laser pointer. Everytime I pick it up, I get the urge to shine the pointer into my eye. But I don’t.
I have an iPod. Sometimes, when I pick it up, I wonder what it would be like to smash it to the ground. But I would never do that to my iPod. I love my iPod. But I get the urge nonetheless.
Driving home tonight, when I went from the northbound I-405 to the westbound CA 118, I wondered what it would be like to just sail over the ramp. But I didn’t; I arrived home safely.
Sometimes, driving the freeway, I get the urge to just keep going straight and run away. To Bakersfield. Or beyond. But I don’t.
Back in the late 1970s, Jimmy Carter gave an interview where he indicated he lusted in his heart. But Jimmy Carter was a family man, and to our knowledge never acted on the urge. Similarly, there are many people who look at pornography, fantasize, and remain faithful to their spouses.
Urges. We get them all the time. 99.999999% of the time, we don’t act on our urges. That miniscule percentage (which always seems to be when they put those nice chewy chocolate chip cookies out at an afternoon break) we give in. What is in the human mind that gives us these urges, even though we know we aren’t going to follow through on them? It is just our mind teasing us, saying “you know, you could.”
Yet some don’t seem to be able to stifle the urge. These are the ones that move from the evil thought to the evil action. We’ve seen far too many of these clowns on the news of late. I wonder: is there something in society that is making it harder for people to not act upon the urge?
To all my friend and readers: I hope you continue to find the strength to not give in to your destructive urges, except that occasional chocolate chip cookie.
Music: It’s Gonna Be Fine (Glenn Yarborough): It’s Gonna Be Fine
