[Gate Inscription at Epicurus' Garden]
I always had a problem with pleasure in my religious and spiritual days. Oh, I always loved pleasure, don't get me wrong, and that was the problem, as I had been taught. If something was pleasant, it was suspect--it would either lead me away from God, or lead me away from the path to Awakening. The spiritual path was one of discipline, self-abnegation, doing "God's will" which was usually the opposite of what I wanted. There was always a struggle going on in my life, and I usually just gave in to my desires, suffering guilt and regret as a consequence.
Now, neither spiritual or religious, I still sometimes find myself leery of pleasure. Though I try to live an enjoyable, happy life, it is sometimes hard to let go of the self-contempt I felt for a long time in the past as I seek pleasure and comfort. I have to keep reminding myself that as a human, I am the result of a process of evolution that has used pleasure to ensure the survival of the species, and so seeking pleasurable states is truly hard-wired in our brains. It is not a flaw, but an integral part of what it means to be a human.
I have been enjoying reading about the philosophy of Epicurus lately. His view on pleasure is not hedonism, as he has been accused of since he founded the Garden. He teaches his followers to find joy in simple pleasures: a meal, shared with friends; conversations with like-minded people; living a simple life surrounded by the beauties of nature; living free of what society claims is important. This is the life for me! I can enjoy the simple things that bring me pleasure, and I can use a philosophical approach to discover what pleasures are truly helpful as I live my life.
Ironically, as I relax and allow myself to enjoy the simple pleasures that are close at hand, I am less likely to over-indulge in the things I once did. I find myself happy with much less, and find pleasure in many different ways, being free from the addiction of needing certain things to be happy.
Epicurus taught that the goal in life is ataraxia, tranquility, freedom from pain, distress and worry. Finding the pleasures that lead to ataraxia is how to live ones life, it is not a way of mindless self-indulgence or selfishness. It is a simple way, but it also requires that one become introspective, and question whether the action one takes will lead to ataraxia, or not. It is the life of a happy philosopher, a fulfilled human being, as one learns to give up the worries and pains that our society so often inflicts upon us. A very worthwhile goal, in my opinion.
