Pursuit of Nothing

🌿 Saturday Musings

Pursuit of Nothing

“Who are you?” I asked Desire.

It answered, “Lava, then Dust, then Nothing.”

Our lives, if we pause to examine, are nothing but a series of pursuits.

From the sandbox to the boardroom, from romantic dreams to retirement goals, we chase—relentlessly.

The objects may change—education, job, partner, house, health, wealth, legacy—but the chase remains.

And yet, strangely, fulfillment often stays just beyond reach.

Recently, I read Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World by René Girard. One idea stayed with me:

Mimetic Desire.

Girard says humans do not know what to desire—we copy desires from others. We want what others seem to want.

Our wants are not born from within—they’re borrowed.

Reflecting on my own journey, I realized every major ambition I’ve had—whether to be a cricketer, a singer, a banker, or an entrepreneur—wasn’t born in isolation.

Each was triggered by someone around me or someone I admired from afar.

A friend’s success. A mentor’s charisma. A public figure’s lifestyle.

Sometimes, it was just being part of a circle where certain desires were “fashionable.”

In the early days of my banking career, I was deeply impressed by senior professionals. Their intellect, presence, and poise lit a fire in me: I wanted to be like them.

Later, when I had arrived at my own corner office, I saw peers taking the leap into entrepreneurship.

Once again, desire took a new shape—was it vision? Or imitation?

Mimicry in Motion

I once visited a rural part of northern India.

Land had been acquired for the Lucknow–Agra expressway, and compensation brought a wave of spending.

In one village, a man bought a black Scorpio.

Soon after, black Scorpios began appearing in neighboring villages—most bought on EMI.

Not because everyone needed one. But because one man’s choice had triggered a cascade of copied desires.

The modern advertising industry capitalizes on this very tendency.

Actors and athletes endorse sugary drinks, fast food, alcohol, and gambling. They may never consume these themselves, but their endorsement plants the seed of desire in millions.

And it works.

The Question That Lingers

So I asked myself: Do I have an original desire?

Have I ever truly wanted something that wasn’t inspired by someone else?

That’s when I recalled a beautiful piece of street art:

“Who are you?” I asked Desire.

It answered, “Lava, then Dust, then Nothing.”

Before we achieve a desire, it burns us with passion—lava.

Once we achieve it, the sparkle fades—dust.

And then another desire arises, and the cycle repeats—nothing.

Poet Sameer once wrote:

“I was on a journey without a destination.

In chasing little happiness, how much grief I collected.”

Perhaps this is what we call stress—the burden of chasing what we don’t even truly want.

So What’s the Takeaway?

Before running toward the next milestone, maybe it’s worth asking:

Is this desire truly mine? Or just borrowed from someone else?

Would I still want this if no one was watching?

Because if we don’t pause to reflect, we might spend our whole lives running in circles—

Chasing shadows.

Clutching dust.

In the end, pursuing… nothing.

Until next Saturday,

Stay mindful. Stay grounded.

Cheers,

Manoj Dembla