Hedonism is the pursuit of pleasure and the desire to minimise pain and suffering. Hedonism is the dominant philosophy of the western world. Hedonists believe and hope that having our desires fulfilled will bring us happiness, pleasure and joy. Pleasure is a helpful tonic for the over serious and responsible. Jesters, clowns and fools bring playfulness, spontaneity and joy to the ruler’s court when it is most needed.
Bringing life to work: the benefits of pleasure.
Jack `the amateur tech guy’ gets enormous pleasure from problem solving his co-workers computer problems. He enjoys feeling helpful and achieving a sense of mastery over technical problems. Jack’s banter and good humour helps relieve the grind of the day to day routine of office work. Jack likes to show off his cooking skills by bringing a home- made cake into the office staff afternoon teas. Jill suggests the staff team bring their pets to work once a month. The team really enjoyed showing off their `fur children’ and having animals around the office. This lifted office morale and injected some fun and novelty into the workplace. Playful eruptions disrupt and suspend the routines and habits of work and whisper to us provocatively: `work is not an end in itself.’ Play is an invitation into the realm of pleasure , freedom and aliveness.
The dark side of hedonism.
Whiny Simon first became aware of the negative impacts of climate after one of his many overseas trip. Whiny Simon is ‘very concerned’ about climate change issues – particularly on the poor and vulnerable. He also loves to travel and has racked up many frequent flyer points. He felt a twinge of discomfort and inner conflict that his lifestyle was adding to the problem of global warming. Simon resolved this problem by ignoring it! He decided to mix business and pleasure by adding some volunteer work to his holiday plans. There were many opportunities to assist building orphanages and other projects. After the end of the lockdown, he is looking forward to more overseas adventures to help the poor.
Hedonism has a dark side. It can be a way of avoiding suffering and pain. A temporary sedative or analgesic – like the advertisement says: `relieves pain and brings temporary relief.’ As an avoidance, hedonistic pleasures numb us to the pain and discomfort that can motivate us to make changes to our lives. Dissatisfaction is a great motivator to go beyond the existing `playing by the rules’ story and explore other alternatives ways of living.
The pursuit of pure hedonism is self-defeating and leads to failure. As an end in itself, hedonism does not produce long term satisfaction or happiness. Avoiding suffering in all it’s forms, ultimately minimises our ability to gain satisfaction. The satisfaction that comes from facing obstacles, striving for a better life or a more inspiring and uplifting life – this is not a life free from suffering but learns to embrace discomfort and suffering for a higher purpose.
Foolish Times 