How ironic, this essay on Thirst that fails to mention actual Thirst in the world today....drought and famine in South Sudan and elsewhere. This is First World privilege--the option to see as a metaphor a condition with life and death implications for so many. Sigh. I am thirsty for justice--and not ashamed of it. I think I'll pour myself another drink...
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Nice gratuitous nonsensical shot at Bernie Sanders. Millions of millenials eagerly voted for him and I never heard one even suggest he was thirsty. I guess the thirsty one is this author.
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"'Thirst' was first added to the Urban Dictionary in 2003, but its use hit its first great peak sometime around 2014...".
It's been in use as slang since at least the mid-to-late '90s, especially New York slang.
It's been in use as slang since at least the mid-to-late '90s, especially New York slang.
I enjoyed reading this as a (struggling, doubting) Christian entering Holy Week. Jesus says "I thirst" before he dies on the cross.
I see my own thirst for attention, approval surprisingly rearing its head lately as I enter my mid-40s, and your piece nicely reminded me this is not something that diminishes with age (i.e. Trump).
I was reminded that this is a very basic need, but the world can never give enough. It can only be satisfied on a spiritual level,so I guess I will keep on struggling with this Faith.
I see my own thirst for attention, approval surprisingly rearing its head lately as I enter my mid-40s, and your piece nicely reminded me this is not something that diminishes with age (i.e. Trump).
I was reminded that this is a very basic need, but the world can never give enough. It can only be satisfied on a spiritual level,so I guess I will keep on struggling with this Faith.
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Yeah, thirsty to write it, thirsty to read it, thirsty to comment :-).
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"Trump's arrant thirstiness stands in particularly glaring contrast to Obama's impeccable chill"
Maybe that's because Trump is always selling himself and Obama is in ownership of himself. No need to peddle merchandise that's not for sale.
Maybe that's because Trump is always selling himself and Obama is in ownership of himself. No need to peddle merchandise that's not for sale.
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Somewhere along the line of life, people bought into the notion that they had to perfect. And this so called perfection means having no needs, no pain, no moments of doubt and means having all the answers to all questions.
This is why our society has become so full of narcissists. To be human and to have human moments of need or fear is something that our society condemns because it is viewed as being weak.
The truth is that only a truly strong person can admit that they do not have all the answers and that at moments they may be needy. We all are needy on some level and we are all dependent on each other.
We need to overcome this insane concept that each person is an island. That concept has gotten has nowhere. For example, we live in a world where lying is so common place that to speak the truth is an act of courage. This is sad.
What our society needs is a reality check. None of us are perfect. None of us will ever be perfect. We all have needs and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
This is why our society has become so full of narcissists. To be human and to have human moments of need or fear is something that our society condemns because it is viewed as being weak.
The truth is that only a truly strong person can admit that they do not have all the answers and that at moments they may be needy. We all are needy on some level and we are all dependent on each other.
We need to overcome this insane concept that each person is an island. That concept has gotten has nowhere. For example, we live in a world where lying is so common place that to speak the truth is an act of courage. This is sad.
What our society needs is a reality check. None of us are perfect. None of us will ever be perfect. We all have needs and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
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I have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and I do not consider it in any way to be a negative thing.
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"Thirst " and "craving" : the terminology of alcohol and substance abuse.
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Great insights until the second-to-last paragraph. It is simplistic to say that Trump is thirsty whereas Obama was chill. Beware of labeling as "chill" that person who exemplifies mature balance at their core -- balance that provides the space and security to express real emotions toward others, not as a reaction but as a chosen, positive action. Thirst, by contrast, is self-serving, reactionary, and (in some cases) spawned from narcissism and fear. The problem with thirst is that it is a juvenile behavior; unregulated, sure, but also emanating from a less-evolved place inside oneself, a basic instinct.
And while thirst is rejected here as a purely negative trait -- likely because it makes people uncomfortable when they recognize their own desires and needs laid bare in others -- perhaps it need not be. Thirst for knowledge, for professional achievement, and for athletic accomplishment are self-serving but are generally positive traits and revered in many circles. It trips the alarms when it is grossly executed, harmful, or triggers embarrassment in the witness.
Finally, "chill" is affect -- calculated release of emotion and expression to hide thirst; chill is self-serving. It is is higher up the pyramid than thirst in that it has a measure of control, but is still focused on goal achievement for the individual.
And while thirst is rejected here as a purely negative trait -- likely because it makes people uncomfortable when they recognize their own desires and needs laid bare in others -- perhaps it need not be. Thirst for knowledge, for professional achievement, and for athletic accomplishment are self-serving but are generally positive traits and revered in many circles. It trips the alarms when it is grossly executed, harmful, or triggers embarrassment in the witness.
Finally, "chill" is affect -- calculated release of emotion and expression to hide thirst; chill is self-serving. It is is higher up the pyramid than thirst in that it has a measure of control, but is still focused on goal achievement for the individual.
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Kleos (Praise for glorious achievement)) springs from aspiration, and is based on positive social value. Thirst springs from desire and neediness. This column is remarkable for explicating the neediness side of thirst, and how our current society and media support it, or at least suffer it.
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Thank you, Ms. Chicano, for another amazing exploration of a single word. Reading your work is like entering into a world I didn't even know existed. I read your pieces more than once; the first time, for content and the second time, to savor your use of language. I was particularly charmed by the phrase "Twitter incontinent." Of all the ways people have tried to capture that individual's excessive and uncontrollable use of social media, yours wins first prize in my book for precision and economy of language.
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Such a great piece, Carina! I love it.
And I learned so much! Thanks for everything you said about thirst and gender roles.
It brings up so much, like... the trap of being hungry but it ends up looking like thirst, because many of us--especially artists/creatives--now need social media to make a living?
Conversely, the privilege required to not be thirsty.
Alcohol not only doesn't solve the problem, but makes you even more thirsty. But it's still fun. (Like other addictions, i.e. social media)
Is there something baby-ish about thirst cuz babies only drink milk?
Hillary getting admonished for being thirsty for votes, to be the first female president. Who wouldn't be? And the closer you get to the drink, the thirstier you get.
The movie 127 hours.
This article really quenches. (Someone has to say it.)
Congrats! Can't wait for your book.
And I learned so much! Thanks for everything you said about thirst and gender roles.
It brings up so much, like... the trap of being hungry but it ends up looking like thirst, because many of us--especially artists/creatives--now need social media to make a living?
Conversely, the privilege required to not be thirsty.
Alcohol not only doesn't solve the problem, but makes you even more thirsty. But it's still fun. (Like other addictions, i.e. social media)
Is there something baby-ish about thirst cuz babies only drink milk?
Hillary getting admonished for being thirsty for votes, to be the first female president. Who wouldn't be? And the closer you get to the drink, the thirstier you get.
The movie 127 hours.
This article really quenches. (Someone has to say it.)
Congrats! Can't wait for your book.
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"Reading it was like having your third eye pried open while cycling through Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, only with all the positive feelings grayed out."
Author is trying way too hard – clearly thirsty.
Author is trying way too hard – clearly thirsty.
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"We “hunger” for success, because we approve of success. Hunger is associated with desire, whereas thirst is associated with need."
Interesting indeed, since we can go without food far far longer than we can go without water. It implies an immediacy of need and clear desperation.
Nice essay!
Interesting indeed, since we can go without food far far longer than we can go without water. It implies an immediacy of need and clear desperation.
Nice essay!
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You must live in a different part of the country. Around here, "thirsty" means horny. Needy, yes, but in a very specific way.
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Yes, pretty sure that's what it means 9 times out of 10 online and in my area. The print headline alludes to that meaning as well ("Dry Spell") but for some reason she never mentions it in the article.
That's the whole reason why things like politicians gulping a drink are funny. The joke is that it is an outward expression of barely suppressed sexual cravings. I feel like the author kind of grazed past that aspect of the word which to me is the whole point.
That's the whole reason why things like politicians gulping a drink are funny. The joke is that it is an outward expression of barely suppressed sexual cravings. I feel like the author kind of grazed past that aspect of the word which to me is the whole point.
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Is it that I am just way out of touch with hip (if hip is still a thing) lingo or is it just that I live in Indianapolis? Read this piece to escape from the horror of the news in Syria today. Such a bizarre juxtaposition of front page news.
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Is not Dread of Thirst when your Well is Full the Thirst that is Unquenchable?
--- Kahlil Gibran
--- Kahlil Gibran
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Sounds like just another way of looking down your nose at someone who hasn't done anything actually wrong. Reminds me of the early '90s, where "trying isn't cool."
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My experience is the very people who deride their friends for being needy(thirsty) are exactly the same.
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It's bad enough that everyone seems to be engaged in showing the world their fabulously "curated" lives via social media; you'll have to forgive me if I have no desire to understand what's behind the impulse that fairly shouts "LOOK AT ME!" I will simply say that it's an unappealing trait in adults (or people of adult age, like Trump). It's as infantile as an actual baby screaming for attention to get its wet diaper changed.
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This idea of "thirsty" motivates the Iliad via Kleos (κλέος) - so I think we might agree that it pre-dates social media and is more likely a basic human trait.
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To your point of thirst being a basic human trait: If one subscribes to it, the Holy Bible tells the story of Cain and Abel, Joseph and his brothers, Martha and Mary, etc. And, I suppose, to the words of a commenter on this article who highlights a 'thirst' of those of us who comment...
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Nice beginning for a book of essays on human states and sensations. Let's hope Carina Chocano writes it. We'd all love to read it.
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