When someone is desperate, it means they’re in a state of nearly or having lost all hope for the one thing they wish for or need. Often, that desperation drives them to the point where they will do anything to achieve it, stopping at nothing until they do. This can cause the person to act without thinking of the consequences regardless if their action is good or bad, which will end up hurting themselves and the people around them. If one is too desperate for something, their mind can be trapped in it, forcing them to hurt themselves and others in several ways. Often, the person can’t control themselves if the desperation is too strong.

Being too desperate for something can fog up the human mind and force the person to let down all guard, accepting anything that’ll help them achieve their goal. “Othello” is a play written by William Shakespeare and includes multiple examples of consequences when desperation dominates a person. In Act I, Scene III, Roderigo insists on drowning himself after hearing Desdemona and Othello are getting married. To stop this train of thought, Iago promises that he will get Desdemona to love Roderigo if he sold all his land to earn money, and then give it to Iago. This proves to be a bad move for Roderigo, since after he leaves, Iago turns to the audience and says that Roderigo was a fool for believing he will help him. Iago is only using Roderigo to his advantage and doesn’t really want to help him, which will only hurt Roderigo further as time goes on. The same is true for us – we get so caught up in the need to accomplish something that we don’t pay attention to the consequences along the way.

Additionally, those who are desperate enough work to extreme lengths to achieve their goal and eventually make it. The satisfaction of completing it is extraordinary, but when it comes down to ending as a disaster, many tend to lose all hope. After months and possibly years of trying to reach calls through the Mojave Phone Booth, Godfrey Daniels is met with distraught news: “In May of 2000, Laurine’s brother – on the way out to the mines – stopped and answered the phone, because it was ringing of course, and talked to some guy in England…and continued to Laurine’s, and then in the morning when they were leaving, the booth was gone.” According to Daniels’ reporter, the phone booth was “now too famous for its own good,” its constant ringing, ongoing traffic to visit it, additionally being placed in a wildlife nature preserve being the causes of its removal. The leftover concrete slab was also removed to prevent visitors from coming back, leaving no traces of the phone booth as if it was never there to begin with. It was such a disappointment because of all the work Daniels did to bring the Mojave Phone Booth some recognition, only to have it all destroyed in the end. Despite the ending disappointment, however, one would find solace in at least having been able to experience their achievement before it faded away.  

The final stages of desperation can turn a usually good person into a bad one, and sometimes the person doesn’t see it until it’s too late. In that state of mind, they don’t have room to think about anyone other than themselves. The “Circles of Hell” are a series of nine circles, with each representing its sin and along with those sins, certain punishments. In Circle IV, sinners include the “Greedy” and the “Spendthrifts,” those who are greedy and those who spend an excessive amount of money in irresponsible ways. Their punishment is, “Pushing rocks, useless labor that frustrates others near them for no good end.” This could mean that the person’s greediness will only be a burden to them and further harm the people around them. If someone is very desperate to achieve their goal, they have a higher chance of becoming greedy with anything they can get their hands on. They may also spend more money than they usually do to get closer to the goal they want to achieve. This can be an example of what someone would do if they turned greedy as a result of being too desperate for something. 

All in all, it isn’t a wise decision to want something too desperately. Desperation can overtake the human mind and turn it into something it isn’t meant to be, hurting the victim and those around them. However, there is a process for overcoming desperation, challenging but beneficial. The best way is to seek help from others; reaching out to family, friends, a therapist, and anyone you can trust and are close with. You can seek guidance from them and gain their perspective on what you’re going through with your desperation, allowing you to feel less alone in the problem.