Desire is not inherently hedonistic or destructive—it is a force, like a line waiting for form. In this episode, we reframe desire as emotional geometry: a function that becomes meaningful only when given direction, boundaries, and proportion. By understanding the shape of our longings, we can refine raw appetite into purposeful action.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Desire is a neutral function—it seeks, without judgment
• Geometry teaches that form, proportion, and boundaries make raw energy useful
• Shaping desire is the work of maturity: turning impulse into purpose

💬 Featured Quotes

• 0:00:00 – “Today I want to talk about desire. We oftentimes demonize things like being desirous… as being hedonistic or inappropriate.”
• 0:00:15 – “It’s important to understand that the function of desire, sort of mentally as a construct, is not any of those things.”
• 0:00:24 – “The desire function… the seeker function… the ‘I want to go find out’ function is non-judgmental.”
• 0:00:38 – “Understanding how desire works allows us to use it to our best advantage.”

🔗 Explore Related Episodes

• The Hoodwink and the Unknown: Learning to Trust Yourself (Ep. 126)
  — Explores risk and trust, both of which shape the course of desire.
• Depression, Endurance, and Growth: How to Know Which Is Which (Ep. 128)
  — On discerning between different internal drivers, echoing how we interpret desire.
• The Rough Ashlar and the Burden: Making Sense of Challenge and Suffering (Ep. 127)
  — Shows how raw states (like desire) must be worked into refined purpose.

Creators & Guests

• Brian Mattocks - Host