pain is good for you, hedonism leads to weak people

Pain is good for you it can give you strength of character and the ability to endure.

It can give you empathy it can make pleasure when it comes more appreciated

Stay awake for a few days , go without food and water, race up a mountain with a rucksack of stones

 

Sacrifice, the true meaning of the Crucifix symbol. Except Id like to sacrifice some SHROOMS, and some E PILLZ AND JACKOFF! HEDONISM FOR LIFE!....................jk

 

i gotta disagree. there are times when a person feels no need for sleep or food or water, possibly because of deep meditation (i can't think of any other safe way). there are even people who are so at peace that pain means nothing. but deciding "i'm not gonna sleep no matter how tired i get" isn't healthy if you're not ready for it. i'm not sure exactly what you meant, so i'm not trying to say you're wrong, but it's not really good advice to tell people to torture themselves .

 

I'd recommend reading up on Epicurus, Johnny2mad.

Also, sorry to say this, but that post reminds me somewhat of 19th century clergymen writing on the evils of anaesthetic.

 

mhm.... ever see an insomniac... a starving man... or a himalayan sherpa looking cheerful?

i can appreciate my pleasure perfectly well without all that shit.... thanks all the same

 

there is pain and there is pain. suffering which is something else entirely is not good at all. not to inflict on existence as a circumstance. this is what having a consciounse is about.

=^^=
.../\...

 

A good doctor would never tell you that pain is good for you. Pain is linked to cause stress. Stress usually causes living things to function worse both mentally and physically. Which can result in death.

The things you suggested don't really cause pain such as hitting your hand with a hammer. They can produce various unoridinary states of conscienceness. Various peoples around the world do this regularly. Like long duration fasting or standing on your head for 2 years. There are much easier ways to alter ones consciousness. There is an easy way and a hard way.

 

well, saying there is an easy way and hard way is like saying you can either fly to the top of the mountain in an airplane, or climb the mountain yourself.

there's a difference between self inflicted pain and beating up your body.

if you're avoiding pain because of fear, that is worse for you than having pain and facing fear. if you're seeking ways to feel pain to get rid of fear, that is different too. but if you're hurting yourself because of fear... i don't understand that.

 

Me : "Yes I am a hedonist I think pain is absolutely exquisite sometimes
In fact it is every bit as good a sensual pleasure as any other - In fact
my experiments with simultaneous pain and pleasure are some of the best
times I have had As for being a strong person I dont suppose you would be able to tell me with any exactitude what that would involve would you?
Does it mean I would have to be a habitual person?"

Pain can strengthen the character - I wouldnt like to turn it into a habit though - said the nun

However the Monk disagreed as he whipped himself with a large
leather strap to make up for the all the pleasure he hated himself for

me - "and they say religion isnt depraved"

 

No, pain isn't good for you. If you can't have character without pain, you need a stronger character. I won't say how, quite now, but I've seen people who think this type of thing, and they end up hurt for the rest of their lives.

I'm gonna be the character I am when I avoid hurting myself because I want to have character. I'm much better off smelling roses and singing songs for my character. I'll get enough accidental pain, and pain on other people's purpose.

As for my choice, I'll have the most fun.

 

That it can be I definately agree b/c I went through so much pain in my life it lead to a much more liberated, enlightened state than before I was ill.
it can be very mind expanding

peace

 

"what doesnt kill you only makes you stronger"
^some saying that i've always heard

 

I'm with you, Johnny. You really don't know your limits until you've tested your endurance. What gives pleasure is also the source of pain. It is good for one to train one's self to be happy WITHOUT.

 

Pain makes pleasure that much better.

 

Hedonism will decay your spiritual growth.

Hedonism is about feeding desire, which will lead to suffering eventually.

All karmic debts must be paid in full.

 

Hedonists are in my opinion, animal like.

"Man must eat to live, not live to eat"

 

I don't agree, Hedonism is just a difrent path to the same spiritual end. A true Hedonist will soon find greater satisfaction and pleasure in charity and spreading love than any earthly indulgence. Don't confuse a hedonists with a Stanists.*


*And don't confuse a Satanist with Devil Worshippers. ;p

 

Fun and good times are a time tested path to enlightenment. Fun and peace is good for the nervous system. Pain is not. Just make sure you are really having fun, and not just feeding an unhealthy addiction that doesn't actually feel good in the long run.

Hedonism isn't so easy as it first seems. There IS a balance one must seek I think.

 

pain can be very enjoyable, very healthy. we are confusing pain with suffering here. suffering has a negative effect on the nerves. pain is a part of our sensual experience. if my understanding of hedonism is correct, it is mostly about taking our physical experience to the extreme. doing so can actually take us outside of the physical. my friend has called this "the left hand path", though i haven't researched it myself. it can serve as a way to focus more on the present moment, though it can also lead one in the opposite direction. one can be led into the depths of obssession and insanity, of illness. if pleasure or pain are primarily focused on, rather than the state of mind that intensity brings about, an addiction is likely to form. a means of escape may be created, rather than a means to see more clearly. as any other path, this all depends on the traveller.

 

I agree with you. Pain can be very enjoyable. But I took the meaning of pain in the post to mean internal suffering, as this thread states that hedonism leads to weakness, and the opposite of hedonism and ecstasy would be suffering and misery IMO.

Misery, guilt, self hatred, and basically everything the neocons seem to stand for, lead to the death of the soul. One must love and celebrate the self, and not feel ashamed of it. For this reason, I consider Christianity as I experienced it as a child almost an anti -spiritual movement, that debases the value of humanity.

This IS the afterlife, so make it an enjoyable one. Enjoy life. Give back when you have in abundance, but always enjoy.