Endless Desires

Τὸ δ τὸν ἄπαντα χρόνον ὑποκεῖσθαι τῇ τῆς γαστρὸς λειτουργίᾳ, ποίας τιμωρίας οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνιαρώτερον; Ὂρᾶτε γάρ τοῦτον τὸν διηνεκῆ φορολόγον, τὴν γαστέρα λέγω, ὅσην ἐπάγει καθ’ ἡμέραν τὴν ἀνάγκην τῆς ἀπαιτήσεως; Ὡ κᾶν ποτε πλέον τοῦ τεταγμένου προκαταβάλωμεν, οὐδὲν τοῦ ἐφεξῆς χρέους προεξετίσαμεν· καθ’ ὁμοιότητα τῶν ἐν τῷ μυλωνι ταλαιπωρούντων ζώων κεκαλυμμένοις τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, τὴν τοῦ βίου μύλην περιερχόμεθα, ἀεὶ διὰ τῶν ὁμοίων περιχωροῦντες, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ αὐτὰ ἀναστρέφοντες. Εἴπε σοι τὴν κυκλικὴν ταύτην περίοδον, ὅρεξις, κόρος, ὕπνος, ἐγρήγορσις, κένωσις, πλήρωσις. Ἀεὶ ἀπ’ ἐκείνων ταῦτα, καὶ πάλιν ταῦτα, καὶ οὐδέποτε κύκλῳ περιιόντες παυόμεθα, ἔως ἄν ἔξω τοῦ μύλωνος γενώμεθα. Καλῶς ὁ Σολομὼν πίθον τετρημένον καὶ οἰκον ἀλλότριον ὀνομάζει τὸν ὥδε βίον. Ὄντως γὰρ ἀλλότριος οἶκος, καὶ οὐχ ἡμέτερος, ὅτι οὐκ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἤ ὅτε βουλόμεθα, ἤ ἐφ’ ὅσον ἐπιποθοῦμεν ἐν αὐτῷ εἶναι· ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰσαγὀμεθα ὡς οὐκ οἴδαμεν, καὶ ἐξοικιζόμεθα ὅτε οὐκ οἴδαμεν. Τὸ δὲ τοῦ πίθου αἴνιγμα νοήσεις, ἐὰν εἰς τὸ ἀπλήρωτον τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν ἀποβλέψῃς. Ὀρᾷς πῶς ἐπαντλοῦσιν ἑαυτοίς οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὰς τιμὰς, τὰς δυναστείας, τὰς δόξας, καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα; ἀλλ’ ὑποῥῥεῖ τὸ βαλλόμενον, καὶ οὐ παραμένει τῷ ἔχοντι· ἡ μὲν γὰρ περὶ τὴν δόξαν, καὶ τὴν δυσατείαν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν σπουδὴ πάντοτε ἐνεργεῖτε· ὁ δὲ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας πίθος μένει ἀπλήρωτος. Τί δὲ ἡ φιλοχρηματία; οὐκ ἀληθῶς πίθος τετρημένος ἐστὶν, ὅλῳ τῷ πυθμένει ῥεων, ᾦ κᾶν πᾶσαν ἐπαντλήσῃς τὴν θάλασσαν, πληρωθῆναι φύσιν οὐκ ἔχει; Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Ἐπιτάφιος Λόγος Εἰς Πλακιλλαν Βασίλισσαν Source: Migne PG 46.888c-889a

What is more unpleasant than the exactions of the stomach, the vengeance of which is not less troubling? Do you see the ceaseless demands of its daily tribute ever slacken? What more regularly casts us down, and nothing is gained by its insistent debts. Like those beasts of the mill that are hidden from view, we tramp around the mill of life, always going round the same way and returning to the same place. I shall tell you about this circular way: it is hunger, satisfaction, sleep, wakefulness, movement, satiety. Always the same things, one succeeding the other, and never do we have rest in this circle until we are out of the mill. Solomon well names life a deep pit and a foreign house. It is a foreign house, and not ours, because it is not ours when we wish it, nor is it when we desire to be in it. We enter ignorant and we are ignorant of the time of our exit. You will understand the symbol of a pit if you turn away from desire as a thing insatiable. Do you see how men pour over themselves honors, power, glory and all such things? But such things given flow away, they are not permanent possessions. In that one who is always zealously striving after glory, power and honor is an unfilled pit of desire. What about avarice? Truly is not the pit's bottom now pierced, the whole emptying out, which not even all the seas can fill? Saint Gregory of Nyssa, from the Funeral Oration for the Empress Flacilla