In his 1950 Nobel acceptance speech, philosopher Bertrand Russell claimed that — once survival needs have been met — all human behavior is motivated by acquisitiveness, rivalry, vanity, and love of power. In this presentation entitled “The Four Desires?”, David Bryen will invite us to evaluate whether these motivators alone are sufficient to illuminate the yearning for fulfillment of our deepest human longings and lift the veil that shrouds our truest desires. David promises to provide no answers, but invites us to explore the hungry nature of the complex human soul, in the hope that this inquiry will encourage and equip us for dialogue with others and thereby heal rather than feed the divisions that increasingly separate us.

In his published books, his poetry, his love for wood, David has long been a voice working to awaken the sensations of the soul. He retired to Ajijic from his psychotherapy practice in 2012. He’s raced sailboats, built his own house, been a lifetime motorcyclist, motorcycle safety instructor, master wood craftsman, and for 5 years served as the coordinator of Open Circle. This will be his 11th presentation at Open Circle.