Roots of Craving

After the group meditation tonight, I showed a video from Master Sheng Yen which explores the roots of vexation and craving. Something that surprised me or felt different for me was how Master Sheng Yen talks about how people do have wants that relate to needs--such as the need for food, companionship, a home, and so on. However, where people start to suffer lies in the way they take these simple desires and add to them infinitely. A person doesn't just want a roof under their heads--they want to own a home. A person doesn't just want one spouse--they want more than one. And Master Sheng Yen reminds his audience, there isn't really all that much that a person needs in terms of companionship and desire. Realistically, when one readjusts their mindset to discern their true needs (instead of multiplying desires), they will find that they can relax in knowing that they have more than what they originally thought.
   What is it about the human mind, however, that takes a simple want and turns it into a striving for perfection? I think this is an important question because it tries to ask the how (how the mind works), perhaps from the perspective of adaptation. Is there some evolutionary value to the idea that we tend to strive for something a little bit more than our means? Or is this simply a cultural idea that comes from a value that societies place on fulfillment through acquiring things? Some of what this might come from is the ancient idea of the good life and how different people seek to know what is the "best" way to live. But it gets confused with the many wants that a person has from one moment to the next. I also believe that in order for this striving to take place, there must be some idea that we might miss out on something meaningful or important if we don't keep fulfilling desires.
    One way of looking at this is to realize that desires have no end, and there is no such thing as truly "satisfying" desires. Like the Hydra, a desire has endless "heads" or permutations that only grow more when one tries to satisfy them. On the other hand, when one is clear about the insatiability of desire, the focus is on how to prevent desire from being a source of suffering, which is a different aim from "satisfying" desires.

Reference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1Nm6laRENc&t=16s