construction of desire

[firecat]

This LJ post has some really good thoughts:
http://orbitalmechanic.livejournal.com/105179.html

Someone (in a friends locked post) quoted some of them.

I found some more I wanted to quote:

The heart is totally untrustworthy, people. All you have to do is make it want something and you think you invented that wanting, you think desire is an expression of truth and unmediated self.

The primary arena I've noticed this in myself is in my responses to clothing fashions. Over and over again, I'll see some new fashions or colors and go EWWWWW...and then in six months to two years or so I will see the same fashions and really like them. This doesn't happen with every new fashion, but it invariably happens with some, and it happens even though I know it happens.

This flexibility can be used for good or ill, of course. I've also used it to widen and shift the set of people I'm attracted to, which I think is a good thing. The constant shifting of my fashion sense, not so good (although fairly harmless overall).

Comments

[vito-excalibur.livejournal.com]

Not speaking for firecat, but my take on it is that the bad thing is neither liking green nor not liking green; but remaining unaware that one's opinion on green, like one's opinion on many other things, is influenced by prevailing trends, and not keeping an eye cocked at who is managing those trends and why and whether one wants to go along with them.