Thin desires are eating life
Reception of the Concept
- Many readers say the essay gave clear language to a vague, long-felt intuition about “thin” vs “thick” desires.
- Others note the idea is not new, linking it to Buddhism (tanha, hungry ghosts), Augustinian “restless heart,” and mimetic desire, but still praise the piece as beautifully and accessibly written.
- A minority dismiss it as shallow “LinkedIn-style” self-help or “idiot wisdom”: pleasant to read but not very actionable or philosophically rigorous.
Examples and Practical Changes
- Several commenters share success in cutting “thin” habits: e.g., compulsive YouTube before bed replaced with reading, aggressive pruning of social media and algorithmic feeds, treating TV as intentional shared downtime.
- Others emphasize that leisure and “doing nothing” (beach, games, binge-watching) can be legitimate rest; the real question is whether an activity aligns with one’s goals and truly restores energy.
Debate Over the Thin/Thick Framework
- Some find the thick/thin distinction clarifying: thick desires change you as you pursue them (craft, deep learning, relationships); thin desires give quick hits without growth.
- Critics argue the model breaks down: harmful pursuits (drugs, crime, sugar overconsumption) clearly “change” you but not in a good way. The line between “process” and “consequences” is seen as fuzzy.
- Others suggest desire is too complex (conscious vs unconscious, socially constructed, moral, durable, etc.) to be captured by a binary metaphor without serious oversimplification.
Form vs Content of the Essay
- A major subthread attacks the one-sentence-paragraph style as the textual equivalent of “thin desires”: punchy, optimized for scrolling, LinkedIn/Twitter-esque, possibly AI-like.
- Defenders see it as poetic, web-friendly, or a way to keep each sentence dense; some point out this is how online news has been formatted for years.
Technology, Relationships, and Modern Life
- Many connect thin desires to modern tech: infinite feeds, WFH isolation, frictionless entertainment, and “mass production of stimuli” that hijack attention.
- Others stress the loss of thick structures: community organizations, deep friendships, crafts, embodied skills.
- Numerous anecdotes describe turning to baking, sculpting, machining, film work, board game design, or even motorcycles as “thick” pursuits that reintroduce learning, risk, tangible results, and real relationships.
Systemic vs Individual Factors
- Some frame thin desires as largely personal attention choices.
- Others argue material precarity, healthcare costs, inflation, and work ideology also drive the hunger and can’t be fixed by willpower or better hobbies alone.