Pleasure vs Happiness

Have you really thought long and hard about PLEASURE and HAPPINESS? Most of us seem to know how to make the right choice most of the time without having to think. If a loved one is hungry or in pain we rush to the rescue without a thought of our discomfort or sacrifice. If we don’t seem to be giving or making the ones in our life happy we will soon get a nudge in the right direction and a lot of this is unconscious and we don’t have to think.

But sometimes when we make a decision that just involves conflicting desires within ourself, we may need to come to grips with pleasure or happiness. Now, I know a lot of pleasure makes us all happy, but most of us also know that over indulgence will defeat or destroy real happiness. Humans are very complicated and human happiness is complicated. Few of our decisions involve just us alone and few of us can be happy without being valued by others or without living up to our own standards.

Some say that happiness comes from within and maybe a great soul can achieve that but most of us cannot, so for most of us, happiness comes from within and from what is environmental. If we are uncomfortable we are not happy, but when we are soaking up pleasure, we can still be unhappy. If you are happy or unhappy, stop and think how this pleasure versus pain is working for you.

So, when you are making a decision consider what will make you happy and consider the broadest context possible and above all else make the choice dependent on you and who you are and what makes you happy. Avoid making decisions that give you fame or fortune, or sensual pleasure, but really take you away from what is most important to you. Someone said, without discipline there is no dignity; I believe, without discipline, there is no human happiness. We constantly have to make choices between what we think we want and what we really want. It is worth thinking about; a lot more than most of us do. Maybe, that is why many of us are missing the boat on happiness.