I recently read this NYT magazine article about how often we, as a culture, associate pleasure with guilt. In fact, this is something that I notice all too often in my practice--people feeling guilty about virtually anything that does not immediately serve others, or better yet, the greater good. Few people stop and consider that sometimes doing the very things that make us happy, regardless of inherent utility to an overall betterment, may paradoxically lead us to live in a kinder, gentler and more accepting world.
In my experience it is quite common for generally decent and virtuous people to feel that unless they are directly engaging in an activity that is defined by some authority as "good" or "worthwhile", they are wasting their time. This sense that all of one's actions must follow a certain lofty and/or virtuous order, when generalized, can lead people to constantly judge their pursuits in a way that precludes them from truly enjoying their chosen activity. Regrettably, this constant self-criticism in hopes of pleasing an arbitrary external authority can also cause people to foreclose on certain important life choices that may otherwise make them happy and give their life meaning that is uniquely theirs.
If only we were able to suspend our judgment of our own choices, and simply enjoy them for the pleasure that they may give us! Perhaps we may then be able to allow ourselves a little bit of satisfaction without torturing ourselves as punishment for the self-indulgence. Moreover, it is likely that a kinder, less critical stance toward our own passions may lead towards a broader sense of acceptance of others, and the world at large.
In my experience it is quite common for generally decent and virtuous people to feel that unless they are directly engaging in an activity that is defined by some authority as "good" or "worthwhile", they are wasting their time. This sense that all of one's actions must follow a certain lofty and/or virtuous order, when generalized, can lead people to constantly judge their pursuits in a way that precludes them from truly enjoying their chosen activity. Regrettably, this constant self-criticism in hopes of pleasing an arbitrary external authority can also cause people to foreclose on certain important life choices that may otherwise make them happy and give their life meaning that is uniquely theirs.
If only we were able to suspend our judgment of our own choices, and simply enjoy them for the pleasure that they may give us! Perhaps we may then be able to allow ourselves a little bit of satisfaction without torturing ourselves as punishment for the self-indulgence. Moreover, it is likely that a kinder, less critical stance toward our own passions may lead towards a broader sense of acceptance of others, and the world at large.
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