“Remember that it’s not only the desire for wealth and position that debases and subjugates us, but also the desire for peace, leisure, travel and learning. It doesn’t matter what the external thing is, the value we place on it subjugates us to another…where our heart is set, there our impediment lies.”
Epictetus, Discourses.
When you value something, you make it important. That can be a positive or negative value: it’s important to avoid negative things happening, and so we value situations (and our behaviours) which protect us from these negatives.
Yearning for something that you currently don’t have binds you emotionally to something that is not in your control. For example, think about a hot day when you have a raging thirst and can only think about quenching it with a tall glass of something cool and refreshing (difficult to do today as I watch the snow falling from my window in Sheffield!). Does your imagination and visualisation help soothe your desire, or do they stoke up the sensation that little bit more? Who is the stoker here?
Learn to let go of your desires and yearning and let your mind find calm.
