Pleasure isn’t Happiness

People are drawn to pleasure. From ancient days to modern times, people have pursued comfort, amusement and pleasure as if they signified a good life. But history, philosophy, and even psychology warn against making pleasure our ultimate goal in life.

Pleasure fades. Happy emotions come and go. A sumptuous meal only satisfies temporarily. A great new car or home is exciting until the novelty wears off. All physical and sensual pleasures are fleeting. Chasing the next fun ride only leads to dissatisfaction. The more we want to experience pleasure, the emptier we feel.

Pleasure-seeking can escalate into dependency. What once satisfied no longer suffices. It is akin to the experience of the addict. They’re always chasing the next high, and never realizing it will never be as good as he dreamed it would be. The happy person is one is content with what she has, not the person who feels a lack.

Seeking pleasure discourages the mind from seeking the higher good. A life devoted to indulgence ignores real happiness based on meaning, purpose, and connection to others. The pursuit of virtue, the cultivation of fine character traits and service to others may demand selflessness and patience, but they produce lasting fulfillment.

Pleasure need not be discarded — it is a legitimate part of our lives —but it must not be the highest aim in life. Pleasure should be viewed as a byproduct of meaningful living rather than its primary goal. If we devote our lives to making our little communities better places to live in, to try to lift up one person each day, to foster connection with people and to enjoy meaningful work, pleasure will come naturally. It does not need to be chased

Have you ever felt your life is empty or meaningless? Have you felt disconnected or insignificant? Do you wonder if you have wasted time looking for the next good time? And have you noticed that not much satisfies you anymore? If you have realized that your way of living has not produced the happiness you want, it may be time to look inside your heart and your mind. There  are many resources to help you with this. Now, if you’d like to get some perspective from a professional, please feel free to call 219-309-3928 for short no-cost consultation. I assure you, if you are truly motivated to find happiness, real happiness, I stand ready to help you.

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Thanks for reading!