A few others have mentioned this, and I agree. I'm not spiritual in any sense of the word, but the Buddha had it right in this case. Everything else mentioned (the serious responses at least) can be traced to this. The OP asks for the root. So there it is.
Elimination of desire is often seen as a destruction of self, or giving up any agency in the world. But something akin to "actionless action" (an inelegant translation, but the best Google term to search to learn about it) that Taoism talks about - in my view - retains the aspects people are worried about losing while dropping the negative stuff.
Desire - and its corollary fear - are also the two emotions used to manipulate anyone to do anything. Watch any advertisement, ever, or listen to any political speech, and start to see how it plays to either our desires/hopes or our fears.
Not that I'm anywhere near the level of "actionless action," mind you. It just makes intellectual sense to me.
Rock n Roll music and color TV. And the coloreds. And liberals. Hitler was a Democrat. Google it. It's true.
__________________ Recently Produced and Distributed Young but High-Ranking Political Figure of Royal Ancestry within the Modern American Town Affectionately Referred To as Bel-Air.
They are angry because they have been forced to recognize that their hour has arrived; that the time has come to surrender power to Shimrra and the new order."
They are angry because they have been forced to recognize that their hour has arrived; that the time has come to surrender power to Shimrra and the new order."
is there any evil thing you wouldn't do for an infinite amount of pizzas?
thats why pizza is the root of all evil
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They are angry because they have been forced to recognize that their hour has arrived; that the time has come to surrender power to Shimrra and the new order."
Are you still a cute twink or did you eventually start adding protein to your diet?
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"The Daemon lied with every breath. It could not help itself but to deceive and dismay, to riddle and ruin. The more we conversed, the closer I drew to one singularly ineluctable fact: I would gain no wisdom here."
Are you still in Auschwitz-mode or did you graduate to Otter-mode?
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"The Daemon lied with every breath. It could not help itself but to deceive and dismay, to riddle and ruin. The more we conversed, the closer I drew to one singularly ineluctable fact: I would gain no wisdom here."