I started thinking the other day about human pleasure. I'm not talking strictly physical, although that is a part of of it. I'm talking about the general idea of actions and a state of being that allows us to describe ourselves with the broad adjective "happy."
In my mind, I divided pleasuree into three areas. These divisions are physical pleasure, social pleasure, and then existential pleasure.
Physical pleasure is obvious. Sex, eating, scratching an itch, a cool drink on a warm day...all these and much, much more are the lowest form of pleasure in my mind. This sense of pleasure is brought about primarily by satisfying our own needs, our physical needs, our basic survival needs. This level of pleasure is usually enhanced by our bodies telling us "Good job, you did something necessary for survival." Our bodies do this in the form of endorphins. Unfortunately, our bodies are stupid. When we eat, endorphins are released. Every time. So if nothing else is making us happy, we eat and then overeat. The results of giving in completely to physical pleasures are never good. When we try to find our happiness chemically, be it through a state of euphoria from chemicals naturally occurring in our bodies or if we introduce artificial chemicals for the same result, we are damaging ourselves.
The next level of pleasure is social pleasure. This can be directed inward or outward. We receive pleasure from recognition of our peers, and also for contributing to our peers' well-being. We are happy when we are well thought of, or when we are thinking of others and doing for others. In this context, we often are happy when we are doing "right." Doing right generally means acting in a way that strongly promotes proper social interaction. I'm not sure if there is a chemical correspondence in this area, but since people are essentially hardwired to be gregarious and seek out the company of others, it is essentially the same. I think this kind of happiness is often felt by the religious; those who are happiest in religious settings. Of course, too much of this pleasure can also be harmful. We can strive too hard for peer recogition. We can also give too much of ourselves for others. As a society, we point to those who give selflessly as being individuals to emulate, but there may also be a proper balance.
The next level of pleasure is the most difficult to achieve. This is existential, or pure mental pleasure. We perform acts or are aware in ways that do not directly benefit us physically or socially, but seem to strike a chord within that produces a quiet pleasure. Outside artists are good examples of this state. They often create works of art with no intentions of selling or achieving societal recognition, but take pleasure in the creation. We can also achieve this state by simply taking pleasure in observing the world around us. I sometimes can reach this state when I'm thinking. When I find a way of perceiving the world that seems to fit, I am happy. This kind of happiness will not have a person shouting from the rooftops or dancing in the street, but this type of pleasure also seems to me to be least likely to do any damage or have any negative effects. I would also imagine that this type of pleasure is to be found spiritually by the truly devout. This type of pleasure could be described as being at peace with one's self, at one with nature, feeling in harmony with the universe, or feeling God's love.
I don't believe we should deny ourselves all physical pleasure, but recognize it for what it is: a means to an end, but not the end itself. Physical pleasure is our body rewarding us for staying alive. The staying alive is the important part.
Social pleasure is every bit as important as physical pleasure to our well-being. Do for others, and be happy when your actions and abilities are recognized.
Take existential pleasure when and where you can find it. It is too rare, too precious. Reward yourself by recognizing when your are smiling for no particular reason.
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