Tuesday, July 15, 2008

What is called 'having a wish'?

I want to kiss Penelope. Let us say that I have been harbouring this wish for days. When people mention her name I become distant for a moment or two, preoccupied with contemplating such a kiss. I think of ways that I could meet her. To friends I admit and say things like: ‘I should like to kiss Penelope’. I often look at the little photograph I have of her, sometimes even caressing it.
All such diverse phenomena (and not just ‘mental’ phenomena) are part of what we denote by the single expression “having a wish”. They are what is called ‘having a wish’.
Always consider: What a thing is (called).