Summary Of Augustine's Desires

There are many different desires that Augustine seeks throughout his life before he finds the one that is truly “worthwhile”. Each of these desires corresponds with his age at the time, or his “maturity” level. Up until the final desire that he seeks, his other desires only provided him with temporary happiness. Once Augustine realized this, he’d move on to different temporary desires until he finally explored deep within himself. These other different desires occurred when he was a teenager, twenty, and thirty. When he was a teenager, his first desire was sex. He found the pleasure within the act, even though it was only temporary. Deep down, though, Augustine figures out that it was more than sex. He claims, “The single desire that dominated …show more content…
He had a friend that he was close with. He had multiple deep conversations with this friend. These conversations with his friend and the idea of his friend became his desire. Then, his friend suddenly passed away, leaving Augustine shocked and heartbroken. He looks back on that moment, stating probably one of the best quotes in the book, “What madness not to understand how to love human beings with awareness of the human condition! How stupid man is to be unable to restrain feelings in suffering the human lot,” (IV. 12). What he means in this quote is that he regrets ever loving his friend. He claims that cherishing someone is placing them on a pedestal higher than a human being, like one expects them to be immortal. He believed that his relationship with his friend would be satisfying enough to be a worthy desire. When his friend died, it shocked Augustine because deep down he felt that his friend was going to be everlasting. He also sought something else within his friend. He believed that the conversations that they had brought him the wisdom that he craved. He confesses, “The greatest source of repair and restoration was the solace of other friends, with whom I loved what I loved as a substitute for you; and this was a vast myth and a long lie,” (IV.13). He reminisces to God that he truly believed that his friend would be the source of all the wisdom that he desired. He realized that his friend was merely the same being …show more content…
To Augustine, being honorable and rich is what would fulfill his desires. They would provide him with a good reputation, material items, and they would get him ahead career wise. He was getting ready for his speech to the Emperor of Rome, the pinnacle of his career, when he noticed a beggar on the street. Even though the beggar was poor and lacked honor, Augustine admired that he had no anxieties. He recalls, “At that time there was also this gulf between us: he was far happier, not merely because he was soaked in cheerfulness while I was eviscerated with anxieties, but also because he had acquired wine by wishing good luck to passers-by, whereas I sought an arrogant success by telling lies,” (VI.10). The beggar drank away his anxieties and, unlike Augustine, was kind and genuine to others. Augustine realized that even though honor would satisfy him, it wouldn’t be for long enough. This honor would come with many anxieties, which would leave Augustine on edge for the rest of his life. Augustine realized that he would be far better with a life where he was freed from his