Sacrificial Fulfillment
For others rather than for yourself.
Pleasure is transient. It will come
and go. Seeking it with a lot of effort is a source of great suffering. No
matter what life you live there will be highs you enjoy, and lows that hurt
(some lives have more or less of course). One should seek fulfillment, not pleasure.
When we talk about momentary
pleasure this is also about how you calibrate your mind. To a degree you tell
yourself if something is pleasurable or painful over and over again. You can
smile while doing the task that you classify as “work”, you can “frown” while
doing the task you classify as “recreation.” It is mental. Accept that you are
doing this thing, for this moment. Be there, don’t resist it. Commit to it. Fake
it until you make it, and it will be real.
What is fulfilling? Helping others
and doing difficult (to you) things. You should do the time intensive drawing
that involves lots of minute details. You should do the activity that bores you
because your friends are passionate about it. You should make sweet love to the
partner you’re no longer attracted to. Do these things with your full effort.
When you’re done with the thing
that pleases you, what are you left with? Nothingness. The bag is empty. The unquenchable
boredom returns. For others means something. You are fulfilled.
Long-term contentment doesn’t always come with the big exciting things, but from enjoying small things along the way.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of a saying from the great Bob Ross.You've gotta have a little sadness once in a while so you know when the good times come. There will be lows that hurt but there will also be highs that are pleasurable. How will we know pleasure if we dont know pain? I think that is from a video i sent you before!
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