Pleasure and Joy.

For about a week I’ve been waking up and wanting coffee right away, and allowing myself to indulge in that. It was good; it was my favourite coffee, and I got exactly what I wanted. Every morning it satisfied the ‘want’ I had, and that always feels good — knowing what you want, and getting that.  But then one day when I wanted coffee, I decided to just have juice instead. It didnt satisfy the want that I had—the thing I knew about, that was in the forefront of my mind—but afterwards I did feel more satisfied than I did on the days when I had the coffee. I got something more than what I wanted from the juice than I would have from the coffee, because I want expecting it. It was a surprise.

Satisfying what you know you want might not always be the best thing for you, even if it fulfills that want that is present to you. Sometimes there is something else, that you might not know you want but that will be better for you. It might be less obvious, or your desires might not show you to it at the moment, but once you’ve tasted it, you know it’s what you needed. We know what will give us pleasure and we know all the things that will satisfy us right now but, “the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things which are worst for them.”

Joy is deeper and more pure. It might not always be as easy or as accessable as the instant gratification of a particular desire, but it always lasts longer and reaches deeper than simple pleasure. You might not always be able to find it when you are looking for it, but when it does come to you it’s a wonderful treat, and well worth the extra effort. It reminds me of something one of my professor told me last year: “when given a choice between pleasure and joy, always choose joy”.

@11 months ago with 1 note
#albus dumbledore #happiness #joy #pleasure #writing 
Pleasure and Joy.

For about a week I’ve been waking up and wanting coffee right away, and allowing myself to indulge in that. It was good; it was my favourite coffee, and I got exactly what I wanted. Every morning it satisfied the ‘want’ I had, and that always feels good — knowing what you want, and getting that.  But then one day when I wanted coffee, I decided to just have juice instead. It didnt satisfy the want that I had—the thing I knew about, that was in the forefront of my mind—but afterwards I did feel more satisfied than I did on the days when I had the coffee. I got something more than what I wanted from the juice than I would have from the coffee, because I want expecting it. It was a surprise.

Satisfying what you know you want might not always be the best thing for you, even if it fulfills that want that is present to you. Sometimes there is something else, that you might not know you want but that will be better for you. It might be less obvious, or your desires might not show you to it at the moment, but once you’ve tasted it, you know it’s what you needed. We know what will give us pleasure and we know all the things that will satisfy us right now but, “the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things which are worst for them.”

Joy is deeper and more pure. It might not always be as easy or as accessable as the instant gratification of a particular desire, but it always lasts longer and reaches deeper than simple pleasure. You might not always be able to find it when you are looking for it, but when it does come to you it’s a wonderful treat, and well worth the extra effort. It reminds me of something one of my professor told me last year: “when given a choice between pleasure and joy, always choose joy”.

11 months ago
#albus dumbledore #happiness #joy #pleasure #writing