Stories of Joy; The Living End

On pleasure, enjoyment, fun & stuff...

 

So a while ago I made the confession that I am a "hedonist." That means I am someone who chases good feelings, the rewards of the senses, just for the hell of it.

 

Yeah; I'm going straight to hell.

 

Okay, so "seven deadly sins" later etc... and maybe I've had a few too many of everything, and maybe I have tried in vain to abstain from this, that, and the other. But I hadn't really made any progress as to the "why" of this kind of a story.

 

And then I realized: it's a story.

 

The whole thing is a story, a tale... a CONTEXT. I don't know that this will help anyone but me, and that's part of the problem. That we're all connected, and we should do things together and for the sake of one other. For the well being of our friends, families, not just ourselves.

 

But this alone doesn't satisfy. And I think I know why. To really reach someone else, someone you care about, you can't fake it. It's not just about seeing what makes them happy and doing more of that. It's not about pleasure; it's about JOY. There's a difference and I think that you know why, too.

 

Let's back up and throw in some pseudo-science for good measure. PLEASURE: it's a chemical event in your brain or distributed throughout your nerves. It starts from your five or six senses; and that makes sense. In your brain. But why does that seem so desolate? Such an empty explanation? Could it be because... the journey is what embellishes the destination?

 

YES! The journey! So simple, it was there all along. This kinda freaks me out because I can see that we are all so easily entering into an age of instant-gratification.

 

And instant gratification is a short-ended destination.

 

...okay. I can hear some of you out there citing the "burden of proof" principle. I am guilty. Here I go attacking an idea using the weapon the idea is forged from. Fighting fire with fire. It's like... I have the answer, but I forgot what the question was. "Why is this so wrong?" Or more importantly "WHAT IS RIGHT." What is right? To quote/respond to Jimi Hendrix "I am experienced..." have you ever been experienced? Well; I have. And allow me to prove it to you now...

 

You are part of the story. Your work, your play, your purpose. Your life has value. If to no one else but yourself... and you are siloed off from the action... you are still the story. You can't just go forcing people to care. You have to be the one who cares the most about your own thing. That's right. And it's that care that sooner or later becomes, um, socialized? Popular? Or maybe deeply connecting with the ones who get you the most.

 

So... Happy New Years. It's not about quitting the bad habits. It's not about getting in shape. It's not about being more productive, following through with your commitments. For me, it's about believing in myself. Endlessly. It really is about the journey. Don't try to be productive! Be... processive. (is that the adjective form of "process" oh dear; you know you're on to something when you JUST CANT find the words.)

 

The journey is in progress. All steps count. Be patient. No -- be more than patient -- be relentless in your digressions. This way, you'll never get there too soon. Some of those "dead ends" are like: THE LIVING END. If you get my drift.