, 1935-05-28
Your Desires Depend
On a Healthy Mind
By DIR MORRIS FsHREIN
Editor. Journal Of the American Medical AzBocia
and Of Hygeia. the Health Magazine

Happiness Is described in a recent book on mental
health rs a balanced flow Of energy In the ~satisfac-
ton Of desires. In other words, you are happy II you
get what YOU want.
One of the troubles is that most Of us do not know
what We want. Furthermore. all OF us differ in the
things that We want.
1t can be taken for granted that everyone Is in
terested in getting enough to eat and in the salts
faction Of his desires for reproduction, but there are
different levels even in these desires.
We have different appetites in relationship to food
and in relation to everything else that we desire.
II is suggested that these basic inborn desires are
just self-starters and that. after We are started. We
qualify our desires according TO our personal char
acteristics.
OF course the nature Of any desire is conditioned
by your past experience. You get hungry without
food. but the food you want when hungry depends
on your previous experience with foods. A person
who has never eaten strawberries will not crave
strawberries.
Therefore. It has been said that life is an orEani-
zation Of wishes and that these wishes take various
forms with different people. One may wish to be
the boss; one may wish to be recognized or have the
approval Of some other person In whom he Is es-
pecially interested: one may wish freedom from wor-
ry regarding money. or a place to live: one may want
adventure and another peace and quiet.
In our modern highly organized society. practically
all our wishes tend to assume some part Of a wish to
mastery. The man who wants money. wants It to
buy something to eat. he wants IL to buy decorations
for himself and his wife. he wants it TO buy good
clothing and a motor car and a lot Of other things
with which he can amuse himself.
We may. therefore. classify our various desires and
urges into major drives and minor drives. The
major drives are concerned with the fundamental
things in life, and minor drives are simple modifica-
tons Of these major interests.
An unsatisfed wish is a driving stimulus until Il is
satisfied.
The mind enters into the picture when We begin
~practicing a system called naturalization. To ex-
plain this simply, a certain individual may want to
be president Of the United States, but since this is
quite out OF the question he satisfies himself by being
president Of his lodge or Of a club or with being
somewhat OF a tyrant IN his home or place Of bust
ness.
The same type Of naturalization was described in
Aesops Fables, when the fox which could not get the
grapes decided they we're sour anyway.
Be cause it is possible for us to find happiness
with less than a maximum of our desires. the mental
hygienists aid us in that direction by suggesting that
everyone develop not only a job as a major interest,
but also some hobbies and games as secondary in
terests in which we may find the success and &C
complshments that are not possible in other fields.
Thus. a basic rule for a happy mind IS to cultivate
certain standards Of living against unexpected
changes and then to maintain a flexible attitude OF
mind so as not 10 have an incurable depression
when life fails US In some particular field.