As humans, we’re all born with greed. We want what we can’t have, as a way to compensate for something that we lack, emotionally or physically. But that’s just what it means to be human. The problem starts when we want something so badly that we start sacrificing and hyper fixating on the wants. That’s when desperation begins.

The tunnel vision that comes with desperation makes us blind to other solutions or pathways to fulfillment. This tunnel vision also leads us to overlook potential consequences. As the desperation becomes greater, more blind spots open up as we tunnel our vision to a thing that we want. Like a student who stays up all night studying, but is too exhausted to perform well on the test. That’s why we need people to keep us in check, these people are called friends. “It’s their job in life to show you a view of the world flying past you”

Desperation often leads through emotional turmoil. The fixation on things that we don’t have can contribute to frustrations, disappointments, and despair. This all plays into a cycle of unfulfillment. Once a desire that we have is met, it’s replaced by another, which has all the same faults, thus perpetuating the cycle.

An example of Desperation is Roderigo in Othello. He becomes so blinded by his “love” for Desdemona that he becomes susceptible to manipulation by Iago. Throughout the play, Roderigo is extorted by Iago for his money, and ultimately, his life. Another example of desperation is Cassio. Halfway through the play, Cassio is stripped of his lieutenant position and goes into a pursuit to get that position back. Just like Roderigo, his desperation is extorted. Iago saw the weakness in the both of them and manipulated both of them for his own personal gain. Both were blindsided by their desperation and therefore, manipulated by Iago.

When we chase something for so long, we begin to lose ourselves. There was a popular TV show in 2008 called “Breaking Bad”. The plot of the story follows a broke chemistry teacher that was diagnosed with lung cancer. Out of desperation to provide for his cancer treatment and his family  he turns to selling methamphetamine. The main character, Walter White, ends up destroying his family, and eventually himself.

What can we learn from this? Our desperation can be seen as a weakness; however, if we keep our desperation in check, the things that we want become goals that we gradually work towards, not something that we have to sacrifice for. The desperation we have is the mother of creativity, enabling us to strive for the better.