Pleasure Without Putting In Work

[Psychonaut]

Why is it that when you allow yourself to have some pleasure that it feels much better when you have worked for it?

When you believe that you deserve it?

Why can't I have pleasure without needing to earn it first?

You probably know this feeling of doing something you really like doing after a hard days of work and it feels great.

Then you do the same thing for a couple of days and its just meh.

[Martin123]

@Psychonaut The carrot and stick conditioning. Just gotta purge yourself out of that.

[Hsinav]

12 minutes ago, Psychonaut said:

Why can't I have pleasure without needing to earn it first?

 

Simply because to identify something as a pleasure means it has to stick out, witch implies something has to stick in. (and there is were the earning-prosess takes place)

[Psychonaut]

58 minutes ago, Martin123 said:

@Psychonaut The carrot and stick conditioning. Just gotta purge yourself out of that.

But removing the stick and leaving the carrot doesn't seem to solve it either.

[ajasatya]

@Psychonaut it happens because you're not practicing mindfulness properly yet. you'd have to be able to appreciate every moment with complete delight. expand your meditation practice.

 

[Martin123]

53 minutes ago, Psychonaut said:

But removing the stick and leaving the carrot doesn't seem to solve it either.

Bo its not about that, you gotta burn down the whole pattern. Takes time, just be patient

[Live Life Liam]

1 hour ago, Psychonaut said:

Why is it that when you allow yourself to have some pleasure that it feels much better when you have worked for it?

When you believe that you deserve it?

Why can't I have pleasure without needing to earn it first?

You probably know this feeling of doing something you really like doing after a hard days of work and it feels great.

Then you do the same thing for a couple of days and its just meh.

Because your can't avoid pain even if you tried to live the most pleasurable life possible. All the instant orgasms, money, junk food, alchohol and drugs can't save you from suffering. In fact the more you escape reality and pursue hedonistic activities the less fuffiled you will be.

This is why we have to learn to get away from the programming we have be taught our entire lives and begin to gain our freedom back.

[Martin123]

@Live Life Liam The hedonistic lifestyle doesn't make you unfulfilled, the problem is lack of fulfillment in the first place.

In fact there is no reason not to be fulfilled by the miraculous phenomenon of being alive. The rest is just a preference.

[Nahm]

Where is fun?

[Leo Gura]

@Psychonaut Buddha's first truth: all duality is suffering.

You cannot escape that. You will never be happy stuck in duality, no matter how hard you self-actualize or what you achieve or do or don't do.

The entire point of the self is to be constantly unsatisfied.

[Live Life Liam]

10 hours ago, Martin123 said:

@Live Life Liam The hedonistic lifestyle doesn't make you unfulfilled, the problem is lack of fulfillment in the first place.

In fact there is no reason not to be fulfilled by the miraculous phenomenon of being alive. The rest is just a preference.

I actually agree and didn't mean it the way you interpreted it. Next time I won't get lazy when writing a post. Yeah hedonism dosent cause suffering if you are awake to the fact of the wholeness of life but otherwise your always going to want more pleasure and ultimately it's a losing game because you can't escape physical pain at least.

[Nahm]

It all is what you think it is.  The other day, I had to take each of my parents to seperate hospitals, then multiple trips to get food, prescriptions, etc. My day started at 6 am with dad's knee surgery and my day with the parental ended at about 7pm. I then stopped at my buddy's to have a beer with about 6 friends. When I told them what I'd been doing that day, they all acted and treated me like something terrible happened or like someone died. It hit me that I have built up a lot of momentum in how I'm seeing things. I felt revitalized by the day. I was feeling great all day because I'm able to help them, I have the physical means, it feels so good to act out compassion, I had many small opportunities to listen to PD here and there through my earbud while waiting on dr's, pills, etc. I also relished what a gift it is for me to be able to see how in control we are - how everything I was doing with the folks is routed back in their lack of healthy lifestyle and mind. What a gift. Honestly, it how you look at it. The hard part is getting through self honesty to get to a place where you sincerely see that everything is awesome.