Thursday, June 28, 2012
Showdown!
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Of pain and pleasure.
The elusiveness that is inherent in any given pleasurable experience is what makes us crave for it in the first place.
Think about the first ever thrill you had, either your first amusement park ride, or your first big success, the first time someone patted you on the back for a job well done (that you actually did yourself). All of these experiences carried with them a thrill, a sense of euphoria that can be explained by the release of endorphins within our system in response to what we perceive to be pleasurable.
Once that time has passed and we're back to our more mundane reality, we crave for the euphoria that completed us in every way imaginable.
It's what is termed in behavior therapy as conditioning. We become accustomed to reacting to things in a particular way, and we tend to get caught in a loop for the rest of our lives. I suppose that's why religious texts, the Bhagvad Gita for example, speak of the ideal soul who is neither burdened with pain or pleasure.
It's a hard state of being to reach for. But all said and done, who would we be if not for our passions and our prejudices?! Souls dedicated to being in the here and now do not have time for ipods and iphones and the galaxy tabs and what have yous. They're perfecting the art of living in the moment, not craving for the memories that give them pleasure, and not worried about a hypothetical situation in the future that might cause them pain.
Given the way we are living now, I don't think any of us can attain that utter sense of completeness that comes with being. We exist to a large extent, and live to a smaller one. Being is elusive, and hard. It's doubly harder to maintain that sense of being in the here and now.
One thing that I am fascinated by is the sheer extreme lengths we go to in order to avoid pain. I do too, regularly. But is there something beyond it? And for how much we talk about it, is there something that is all to transient and shallow in the pleasure that we constantly crave for?
The same problems apply to conditions such as Alcohol Dependence; the craving that is inherent in the condition is first in order to get pleasure or euphoria from the substance. Later on it is largely to avoid the pain of withdrawal from the substance, the pleasure consequently becomes more transient and the pain becomes more protracted. Which is why the initial stages of withdrawal are painful; they're terrifying if not handled and managed properly. But after that harrowing experience, a new dawn arises that is rewarding and uplifting to the person; (s)he sees things in a new light. If they're lucky, they may realize that they were caught up in a raging war (entirely within their minds) that dealt with avoiding pain. Once they see through that, things are easier to deal with; life shines like never before, and the promise of tomorrow has never been more pure.
Maybe what I'm trying to say is that we've grown too accustomed to instant gratification. We can learn to stretch ourselves a little bit and try to hold on for a minute longer, and find growth within ourselves we never thought possible!
Think about the first ever thrill you had, either your first amusement park ride, or your first big success, the first time someone patted you on the back for a job well done (that you actually did yourself). All of these experiences carried with them a thrill, a sense of euphoria that can be explained by the release of endorphins within our system in response to what we perceive to be pleasurable.
Once that time has passed and we're back to our more mundane reality, we crave for the euphoria that completed us in every way imaginable.
It's what is termed in behavior therapy as conditioning. We become accustomed to reacting to things in a particular way, and we tend to get caught in a loop for the rest of our lives. I suppose that's why religious texts, the Bhagvad Gita for example, speak of the ideal soul who is neither burdened with pain or pleasure.
It's a hard state of being to reach for. But all said and done, who would we be if not for our passions and our prejudices?! Souls dedicated to being in the here and now do not have time for ipods and iphones and the galaxy tabs and what have yous. They're perfecting the art of living in the moment, not craving for the memories that give them pleasure, and not worried about a hypothetical situation in the future that might cause them pain.
Given the way we are living now, I don't think any of us can attain that utter sense of completeness that comes with being. We exist to a large extent, and live to a smaller one. Being is elusive, and hard. It's doubly harder to maintain that sense of being in the here and now.
One thing that I am fascinated by is the sheer extreme lengths we go to in order to avoid pain. I do too, regularly. But is there something beyond it? And for how much we talk about it, is there something that is all to transient and shallow in the pleasure that we constantly crave for?
The same problems apply to conditions such as Alcohol Dependence; the craving that is inherent in the condition is first in order to get pleasure or euphoria from the substance. Later on it is largely to avoid the pain of withdrawal from the substance, the pleasure consequently becomes more transient and the pain becomes more protracted. Which is why the initial stages of withdrawal are painful; they're terrifying if not handled and managed properly. But after that harrowing experience, a new dawn arises that is rewarding and uplifting to the person; (s)he sees things in a new light. If they're lucky, they may realize that they were caught up in a raging war (entirely within their minds) that dealt with avoiding pain. Once they see through that, things are easier to deal with; life shines like never before, and the promise of tomorrow has never been more pure.
Maybe what I'm trying to say is that we've grown too accustomed to instant gratification. We can learn to stretch ourselves a little bit and try to hold on for a minute longer, and find growth within ourselves we never thought possible!
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