Quote:
Originally Posted by impaul99  Is your purpose not limited to your present lifespan then?
Meaning, if happiness is your "persuit", does it not end at the end of your body's life and everything worked for in this lifetime becomes meaningless at death?
Or do you mean "happiness" in terms of what makes your spirit feel good, your True Self feel fulfilled? IF so, then that's the same thing I'm talking about.
For example, lets say that you decide to work out every day doing 2-3 hours of intense training, but it has no real practical use in the physical world. Meaning, you're not doing it to train for the olympics or some UFC fight or anything like that. You are simply doing it because it makes your spirit feel fulfilled. It doesn't make you feel "pleasure" but it is fulfilling. |
I don't feel that there need be a dichotomy between pleasure and fulfillment. I mean its not mutually exclusive. Its simply a matter of where you want to focus. If you're focused on the ego the joy that you can experience is limited and vulnerable and can only bring you a certain amount of pleasure. When your focus is beyond the ego, it is both pleasurable and fulfilling; those two go hand in hand.
Abraham Maslow noted that fulfilled (or self-actualized) people often have transcendent experiences that are very uplifting. Satisfying need of fulfillment and having lasting joy basically require a focus beyond the ego. I know this out of my own experience as well, I don't feel is just abstract philosophizing.
So, yeah its a matter of focus in my opinion not happiness vs. stillness so to speak. Just clearing that up. We are in agreeance.