3 ms·
You might be conflating the proximate and root causes of the act. I may not get in front of a crowd because I'm desperate to give a speech, but I may be despera
by bumby 3y ago
You might be conflating the proximate and root causes of the act. I may not get in front of a crowd because I'm desperate to give a speech, but I may be desperate to keep my job, or desperate for status, or something else. Likewise, with rock-climbing, maybe I'm desperate for an adrenaline high or a novel experience. To be generous to the OP, I think "desperate" just means the gains from the experience outpace the perceived risks.
- ziddoap 3y agoThis is more aligned with what I poorly expressed, thanks.
- saulpw 3y agodesperate: Having lost all hope; despairing. It's just the wrong word, then, by a huge margin.
- ziddoap 3y agodesperate: needing or wanting something very much (Cambridge Dictionary) There's multiple definitions
- bumby 3y agoIn such discussions, its usually better to strive to understand what the commenter actually meant rather than being pedantically correct. The latter can border on bad-faith rather than adding to the discussion. The OP clarified their point. As already pointed out, there are more definitions. This one aligns just fine with the OP's point: 'desperate: driven by great need" (From the American Heritage Dictionary)