One of the many questions posed by Shelby as end of the year thought provokers caught my eye and I figured I would respond to it.
Shelby asks why we are told to avoid pleasurable things, but I ask where and when were you or anybody told this?
I have been taught from the youngest age to seek out things that make me happy, things that give me pleasure, things that give me pain of some sort, I was told to avoid.
I feel that there are many human being that follow this theory of life. In fact the theory is even bolstered by Freud's publicized theory.
The pleasure principle is a psychoanalytic concept, originated by Sigmund Freud. The pleasure principle states that people seek pleasure and avoid pain, i.e., people seek to satisfy biological and psychological needs.An individual's id follows the pleasure principle and rules early life, but, as one matures, one learns the need to endure pain and defer gratification, because of the exigencies and obstacles of reality. In Freud's words, “an ego thus educated has become reasonable; it no longer lets itself be governed by the pleasure principle, but obeys the reality principle, which also at bottom seeks to obtain pleasure, but pleasure which is assured through taking account of reality, even though it is pleasure postponed and diminished”.
My question is: Where are there examples of people being taught to avoid pleasurable things or activities?
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i think you'll appreciate this... it is long, start about half way through if you don't want to watch the whole thing, but it is worth it (even if it is a little out there)http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3950609180904530887&hl=en&emb=1#docid=-6252798594172621795
ReplyDeleteWell, if one is brought up in any Christian faith, you're taught that things that bring pleasure are sinful and should be avoided. Among the seven deadly sins are lust, gluttony and pride, all of which can certainly be pleasurable in their own way. While taking these in moderation would perhaps be the best course of action, many Christians preach that these should be avoided. One of the most prominent examples of this is in the abstinence-only sex education that was advocated by the Bush Administration, supported largely by Evangelical Christians, whereby students are not taught anything about birth control or safe sex practices, and simply taught to not do it until marriage.
ReplyDeleteThere are surely other examples of this, as well, but I'll just cite the above as a taste of the denial of pleasure.