Hungry Ghosts get their own festival.
The song Constant Craving earned k.d.lang a ton of awards.
In 1670, posthumously published, Pensées by Blaise Pascal, we find…
“What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace?
This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.”
- Blaise Pascal, Pensées VII(425)
So far, the Neverending Hunger has not come bearing gifts in my life, and it has taken some very important people away from me when they weren’t able to deny its demands. The more awake I become, the more I feel it lurking around every shadowy corner.
I’ve worked with this since I was 16 and committed to the awakening path. Not long after that, I found Buddhism, and it has remained a core part of my life and personal philosophy. As a therapist, my approach fell into the existentialism realm; life is what it is, and death is inevitable—how do we roll with it and stay sane-ish? I’d say even now I’m a Practical Mystic, but that doesn’t mean the Neverending Hunger legged off to bother someone else.
Craving the right clothes and house and belonging and food as a kid.
Craving pot and cigarettes and sugar and my own home and money and a lasting love as an adult.
I get really fucking tired of the sensations of craving and the arguments in my head that come with them; you know what I mean?
Like, I can see why some systems of thought and some philosphers and mystics have pinned all human problems on desire.
The ache of longing, the desire for something, anything, to stop the Neverending Hunger, is in and of itself sometimes overwhelming. I honestly don't know how people who wind up addicted to heroin and oxycontin ever manage to kick it to the curb, and sadly, I personally know many who couldn't.
So. Back to the God-Shaped Hole. I first ran across the concept when I worked with adolescents in residential treatment centers. I took packs of them to AA and NA 12-step meetings several times a week.
In these meetings, the concept that without a spiritual connection of some kind, we're never satisfied with life is often discussed. Without a Higher Power, we will always live like Hungry Ghosts devouring everything without ever finding satiety.
It makes sense to me, but making intellectual sense is far and away, different from making feeling sense.
I know that all craving and hot restlessness ends when I step into the Oneness. I just haven't yet figured out how to live in that state and still remember to scoop the litter boxes and do laundry and show up for work and shit.
This is what our favorite frenemy ChatGPT had to contribute when I asked it to explain:
The "God-shaped hole" is a concept rooted in existential philosophy and theology, describing an inherent emptiness or void within the human soul that can only be filled by a transcendent, divine presence. The term is often attributed to Blaise Pascal, a 17th-century French philosopher, mathematician, and physicist, although he did not use the exact phrase. In his work "Pensées," Pascal famously wrote about the human condition and the deep longing for something beyond the material world, stating, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ."
The essence of this idea is that human beings are intrinsically incomplete and seek fulfillment through various means, such as relationships, achievements, material possessions, and pleasures.
However, these pursuits often lead to temporary satisfaction, leaving individuals feeling more empty and unfulfilled in the long run. The "God-shaped hole" suggests that this pervasive sense of longing and dissatisfaction stems from a fundamental spiritual need—a need for a relationship with the divine.
This concept resonates with many religious traditions that emphasize a connection with a higher power as essential to human well-being. Christianity, for instance, teaches that humans were created in the image of God and are meant to live in communion with Him. The brokenness and longing experienced by individuals are seen as a result of the separation from God due to sin. The solution offered is reconciliation and restoration of that relationship through faith in Jesus Christ.
Similar ideas are present in other religious contexts. For example, in Buddhism, [strong note inserted here from me that Buddhism is NOT a religion FFS] the sense of existential dissatisfaction, known as "dukkha," is addressed through pursuing enlightenment and realizing one's true nature beyond the ego. Hinduism speaks of "Atman" (the inner self) seeking union with "Brahman" (the ultimate reality), and this union is seen as the ultimate goal and fulfillment of human existence.
The "God-shaped hole" also finds a place in secular and existential philosophies. Existentialists like Jean-Paul Sartre acknowledged a profound sense of "nothingness" at the core of human existence. While Sartre, an atheist, did not believe in filling this void with a divine presence, he recognized the deep yearning for meaning and the struggle to create purpose in a seemingly indifferent universe. This existential angst can be seen as a parallel to the spiritual emptiness described by religious thinkers.
The concept has been explored in various cultural contexts, including literature, psychology, and popular media. It speaks to the universal human experience of searching for meaning and purpose in life. Psychologically, the idea suggests that without a sense of higher purpose or connection to something greater than oneself, individuals may experience feelings of emptiness, anxiety, and depression. This has led some mental health professionals to explore spiritual and existential dimensions in their therapeutic practices.
In conclusion, the "God-shaped hole" is a profound metaphor for the existential void and deep longing for fulfillment that many believe can only be satisfied through a relationship with the divine. Whether approached from a religious, philosophical, or psychological perspective, it highlights the universal human quest for meaning, purpose, and connection beyond the material world. This concept continues to inspire reflection and dialogue about the nature of human existence and the ultimate sources of fulfillment and peace.”
Thanks, buddy! That's interesting stuff, but again, these things always boil back down to the micro-decisions we have to make all day, day after day.
Do we go work out or not?
Do we choose the futile attempt to satisfy the Neverending Hunger over our spouse/children/creativity again or not?
Do we avoid our finances again or not?
Do we eat the food that makes us feel like leftover dead the next day or not?
Do we TikTok away the evening or not?
Do we hit the bottle, the needle, the slot machines or not?
I do believe that the God-Shaped Hole is a thing, again, however you define God.
I believe that some of us aren’t that far away from the Otherworld(s) even as we are embodied in this life. I believe that the sense of being in one world and desperately missing another is at the root of many addictions (as is unresolved trauma).
I believe that if we:
talked about spirituality more
if we had more societal support in defining “Higher Power” for ourselves
if we spent more time in Nature
if we could pursue creative acts without pressure to fucking monetize everything
if we didn’t consume foods that literally make our brains misfire
if families didn’t have to have both parents and the family dog working full-time to survive
if we weren’t losing years of our lives online…
then the rates of addiction and those who die through unaliving themselves would be much, much lower.
There are things that reduce and quiet the Neverending Hunger. Staying away from carbs helps me enormously, as does exercising and spending time outside, but I’m not sure it will ever really go away. I’ll have to report back on that later.
Et vous? Does it haunt you? How do you appease the Neverending Hunger?
XO,
LMW
P.S. Money is on nearly everyone I know’s minds and is another source of Neverending Hunger that can be healed in time. To help out, I’ve cut the Train Your Body to Wealth program by 50% until midnight Eastern May 31, 2024. This means you can get a payment plan at a much lower price and get in on group support, just an FYI.