“Stay thirsty my friends."

Hmmm. The close to a blog post by my brother, “Stay thirsty my friends,” was an allusion to “Be Like Water” – direction from Bruce Lee…and a goal of my brother (see his Monday, April 26, 2010 post). But his close is interesting. Following his example, before I wax on the statement, perhaps we should break down the meaning of the statement.

As with most words in the English language, there are more than one meaning for the word “thirst.”

This is simultaneously the cause for many problems in our society (dual / confused meanings) and the beauty of our language (see poetry for examples). Thirst can be “the craving of liquids” – the sometimes unrelenting and overpowering need to consume liquids.

In Quantum of Solace, the latest James Bond movie, the 007 gives a can of motor oil to the villain as he abandons him in the middle of a desert. Yes, we learn later that he drank the oil. The power of thirst can be so powerful.

Thirst can be used for the craving of things other than liquids. And the thirst for other things can be as powerful as the need for liquids. The difference is the need for liquids is biological or physiological – while the thirst for power, fame, glory, riches, passion, compassion, love, applause, attention, or knowledge are not. These thirsts stem from a different central point in our beings. But is the craving any less powerful?

When our brains signal our need to drink it is a survival mechanism. Our bodies need fluids (specifically water). Without it we die.

So, when my big brother says, “stay thirsty” what did he mean? Did he mean to work hard so that we are always in need of liquids? Like, “sweat daily?” Or “just do it?”

Or did he mean, in a sly way, that we should not become satisfied. Not be satisfied with who we are, or where we are (station in life), or what we have? That we should continue to thirst for more and continue to strive to always be better? Ow. That would make self-contentment a bad goal. Maslow would be unhappy to hear it. Or would he? Is self-actualization a goal we should seek to attain or is it a road? A journey we should attempt to travel endlessly to our grave? Does contentment lead to complacency and eventually death?

Or did my brother simply mean to keep trying? Keep growing? Keep becoming?

I’ve heard a similar saying, “stay hungry,” used in sports a lot.

Lou Holtz has said that the problem was that his goal was too specific – winning a national championship. Once the team (including himself) achieved the goal…they became complacent. They were no longer thirsty.

He definitely would recommend staying thirsty. Perhaps he’d say “stay hungry.” Perhaps he would say always leave the table a little hungry. By the way, if our bodies tell us we’re hungry – you can safely ignore that to a degree. If you body tells you you’re thirsty…you’d better listen. We need water much more than we need food. No wonder water is the symbol for baptism. Water cleanses. Water heals. Water provides life. So, the old saying, “stay hungry” pales in comparison to “stay thirsty.”

Is it our brains that also signal our need to quench our other thirsts? If we don’t quench those thirsts – will we die? How powerful is the thirst for knowledge? How powerful is our thirst for attention? Are these addictions? No, not all addictions are bad things…you can be addicted to a TV show (24 anyone?), Butter Pecan Ice Cream (mom?), or even a game (chess).

Currently, Wikipedia defines addiction as a negative, “An addiction is a persistent behavioral pattern marked by physical and/or psychological dependency and tolerance that causes significant disruption and negatively impacts the quality of life of an organism.” So what would you call something that doesn’t have a negative impact but meets the other criteria? Whatever you call that (I look forward to your comments) is what I’m talking about. But perhaps I’m reading it wrong. Perhaps the negative impact is a result of not feeding the addiction or quenching the thirst. So, reading further, Wikipedia also says, “It is common in colloquial English usage to extend the use of the term "addiction" to also encompass apparent compulsive behavior and passionate dedication to activities (such as hobbies) by analogy.”

Again, the beauty of our language. So, I guess I’m ok. I’m just colloquial.

So, what is meant by “stay thirsty?” This is when I usually provide my conclusive answer to the questions I’ve posed, making the question rhetorical. And I get very few comments (which could be because I’ve answered the questions so well OR it could be NO ONE IS READING THIS!). So, while the temptation is strong to not provide my “take” on the answer, I’d be cheating if I didn’t. I mean, that’s what a blog is for, right?

I get to quench my thirst for writing, for expounding on my chaotic thoughts. You get to read this. I get to wait expectantly for comments which you get to refrain from adding. But are these thirsts? Or just hungers? What do I actually thirst for?

What do I believe I would die without? What thirst do I have which I find impossible to leave unfulfilled? What thirst, which if I don’t quench, will cause me pain and sorrow? What will result in “significant disruption and negative impact” to my quality of life?

I would surely die (or wish to die) if I could not quench the thirst within me for:

• Love
• Companionship
• Competition
• Mental exercise
• My wife
• My children
• Serving others