socializing with friends—even if we never crave them, and it is simply not true
that we are better off if we crave them because of how this enhances our
appreciation.
This is not to deny that the ability to appreciate things enhances the quality of
our lives. But we can appreciate things without previously craving them. Of
course, we do sometimes experience relief once something we have hoped for
comes to pass, and this experience contributes to the appreciation we feel.
Suppose, for example, that I have some medical tests run. Naturally, I hope for
positive results. If they are, my appreciation would be greatly enhanced by the
relief I would experience—something I would not experience if I were indifferent
to my test results. This suggests that we are better off having certain
desires—specifically, those that enhance our experience of appreciation. We need
not, however, pursue this line of reasoning, because we have already seen where it
leads. Suppose I learn that my test results are positive. Clearly, I would not be
relieved by this news unless I previously worried about the test results. Assuming
that the degree of relief I experience is proportional to the depth of my worry, I am
not, on balance, better off as a result of having hoped for positive results. Indeed,
in all likelihood the momentary relief I experience is nothing by comparison with
the anxiety I endured for hours, days, or weeks. If this is right, then I would have
been much better off if I had been indifferent to my test results.