Desire and rivalry from "summary" of René Girard's Mimetic Theory by Wolfgang Palaver
Desire and rivalry are two powerful forces that shape our behavior. We often find ourselves competing with others to obtain something we desire, leading to conflict and negative consequences.- Desires can create a situation of rivalry between two people, as each are striving to reach the same goal.
- Due to our competitive nature, we can become hostile towards those who have something we want, making us enemies despite any similarities we might share.
- Our motivations and decisions about how to act are often influenced by our desire to be accepted and appreciated by groups of people.
- Comparison of oneself to others can be detrimental, as those ideals are hard or even impossible to attain for everyone.
- We may try to mimic those we view as more successful in order to earn respect from others, creating an unhealthy cycle of imitation.
- Jealousy is often generated when one person feels they have been denied something which was given to another, and this breeds animosity and bitterness.
- The greed that comes along with desiring what someone else has can lead to negative behavior and sour any chance at friendship.
