One can see life as a way towards more and more pleasure. This might seem like a lazy perspective to some, and of course, there can be negativity within the idea, and yet we will always find a way to circle back around to what we enjoy and love about life, and what distortions and chaos we desire to distance ourselves from.
Usually we think about the ideas of the Hedonists in ancient Greece, when we talk about pleasure. Wherein all motives were defined by way of pleasure seeking. Even acts that sacrifice immediate pleasure, can be seen as a way to gain some kind of other pleasure.
This way of seeing things perhaps seems too vain for most people. They do not like the way reality is being defined because it seems to shallow for a human being to only think of selfish endeavors, that increase their own happiness.
Yet, this idea is only really defining the word.
For me I don’t mind using the word whenever possible. Joy, compassion, happiness, bliss and pleasure are on the same scale in my world. It is possible to delineate differences in terms of expansiveness and depth, but is seems as though, humanity always moves towards pleasurable ideals and away from the opposite.
The opposite, is usually seen as painful. Not comfortable and not preferable in the least. However, the opposite will always arise, and has to arise for more pleasure to be known.
Thus, pain can be allowed side by side pleasure. This integrates the idea that hedonism is a lazy and degraded form of living. Because in how reality works, pain is needed for a higher type of pleasure.
Pain will occur. In allowing it, we can stay within a state of being we prefer. Which is always going to be something more pleasurable. We may hear an opinion we disagree with, or see an image we feel disgusted by. But, since we can’t censor reality in this way, it is far more intelligent to feel good about reality instead.
This can easily be accomplished when you understand that the goal is more pleasure. Thus, the laziness and degraded aspect is already taken out of the equation. For it is often a massive challenge to go against our instincts of feeling pain at what we deem painful. Instead of feeling good about what we deem painful. It takes mastery, skill, an open heart and mind.
I talk a little bit more about this on my podcast! Insights that can lead to a constant flow of awesome.
Rokazulu's Mystical Eschaton 