the higher lens : 5
The Ache of Aspiration
I’ve recently been thinking about wanting lately. The longing for something that feels close, yet so far, the kind that sits in the back of your throat, like cough that you’ve surpassed for too long. Not rapacity, but a desire that feels linear, and even generational. To want, do, and have more, not only for myself, but to understand that the world I’m from leaves no space for stagnancy, time doesn’t just stop when you need it to. From a very early age I was implicitly taught, to want something means it's already yours, now it’s up to you to see how much you actually want it. No negotiation. Of course this is easier said then done, but it has definitely helped me along the way.
Wanting as we know is not a new concept. In ancient philosophy, the Greeks implicitly warn against pleonexia, which is another form of desire that is unsettling, the concept in its self states that tyrants are motivated by this overreaching greed for more than what you can actually acquire, at the detriment of others. Plato saw this as a threat to justice, and Aristotle believed that this specific vice disrupts an individuals moral compass, narrowing their own capacity for temperance, and justice, which are virtues he believed we as human need to live well. In essence becoming less human in ethical terms.
In situations where personal gain and systematic cupidity is more evident in the UK housing crisis. Politicians promises solutions, for the public to be met with increasing rent, unaffordable homes, and a waiting list. Where alliances hold more weight then detrimental outcomes, given the governments relationship with private developers, who usually limit supply to increase market value, is a modern form of pleonexia. The insatiable desire for profit, at the detriment of public well-being. In this case civic like is at risk, Plato reinforces that “unchecked desires corrodes justice”. When incorporating Maslow's hierarchy of needs, one of the most basic human needs being housing serves as an engine for perpetual gain, presenting the fractured foundations of our society.
People are denied stability and security, when instead of being a positive gain for the government and the public, it becomes exploitation, not only is it a political failure but a philosophical one.
yet, I've realised that not all wanting is equated equally. There is a distinct contrast between desire that nurtures growth and one that consumes others. My own desires are rooted in growth, not in greed but striving for legacy, something that creates more opportunities for myself and others. Society rewards accumulation with no reflection, in turn people are confusing excess with excellence. Which makes me question when I pursue my own aspirations: At what cost do I define my own success? To whose cost do I define my own success?
Is your version of success rooted in solidarity or scarcity. I only ask this as a reflection to hold my self accountable. Sometimes when I’m in a zone of ambition and everything I've planned is going right, I tend to not reflect on what steps I've made to get in that position or in some case who I’ve taken it from, whether it was intentional or by chance. I already want the next success and say to myself “just keep it pushing”, instead of reflecting and sitting with the progress that I've made.
There are days when I feel overwhelmed by how much I want for myself. The life I envision. A life of law and creativity, of influence and intimacy, of financial freedom, and intellectual depth. A life that feels expansive and textured and completely mine. I refuse chasing the ghost of my own success, I’d rather them be tangible, my reality.
So I honour both aspects of my longing: the gratitude and the yearning. I hold so much compassion and gratefulness for how far I’ve come, and unashamed of how much further I plan to go. This write is not a manifesto, but a statement for my own future vision. On the ache of aspiration. On the politics of ambition. The culture we’ve created for wanting more, and what exactly it means to want well.
Williette Fewry - University Of Exeter , Law Undergraduate