The thin divide between being selfless and being hedonist

Topics of discussion, spirituality, hedonism, best path, life, prosperity, philosophy, purpose and demonstrations of truth.

When I look at the decisions of life and the expression of life, I think of life like art. As a philosopher can be known as an artist of life it’s self.

So why is the most aligned way to live so fixated with the expression of life and its efforts in every moment? Don’t just be, feel too.

Was Jesus as blessed by the universe for feeling well in calm desolate moments? As he would have been for performing advanced healings on his colleagues and believers? This is important to ponder, at least for anyone looking to live their best life. The desolate moment being considered quite bad, and a moment of opportunity for gratitude being quite good, the hard squeeze could be more profound outside of the challenges of helping others, finding joy in the desolate could be a greater feat.

For each person or path is said to have a best alignment with their higher self. Do we deny our potential by learning to enjoy something over and over or do we honor time by making the most joy out of each moment?

As I studied philosophy in depth for the first time a decade ago in grade 12, my favorite philosopher was Epicurus. He taught about the balance of great honorable pleasures such as enjoying food with family and friends and minimizing pain and suffering without rocking the boat beyond calm seas. However as we watch the path of the masters, they often are notarized for their stance, and actions. Putting them in trif with the views of others.

At which point we look to the top of the page and consider, do we spiritual people perform acts of benevolent selflessness for selfish ends?

Often in my younger life I considered someone opening the door for another, it’s a minor act that could have positive yields even for a self centered person. For instance, let’s say we have a boy named X and a boy named Y. They both approach double doors at the same time and behind them they notice teacher Z. Both X and Y can be holding the doors for teacher Z for many different reasons.

Reason one to a selfless person, would be it’s a nice thing to do. Reason one for a selfish person could be that I need a good mark on my essay, or another destination for preferential treatment. There is also the instant gratifications and potential for acknowledgement or thanks. So someone can be selfish about opening the door for you, and still get what they need out of the task. Even still in this small scenario, both require discipline to receive the highest yields for their intention and needs.

So let’s get right to it, sex, drugs, and conflict.

A hedonist, even refined by the teaching of balance, discipline and restraint as outlined by Epicurus can still readily be known to enjoy sex with his partner, caffeine in his tea, and other mild, natural or valuably purposed mood enhancers (drugs). Whereas the spiritual person could follow much the same roads, who or what is the best aligned path?

Inevitability I find the selfless master spiritualist has no need, reduced passionate living and therefore a less artful life, even if there teachings are pure and valuable to ones self, to me I see meekness, a shell of a life based on the needs of spirit. It’s important to me to find this best balance, and obviously I have not found it completely, or these words would have held no place to be written.

So here I am naked in my truth, standing at a cross roads. On one hand all I want to do is help others, however aware that in doing so I help myself. If I help the most hurt and in the greatness need, am I not placing myself beside these people and among them and therefore simply being selfish and helping myself in an efficient way. Further to this problem is we cannot help others at all times, even among the best intention. In time we are left alone to our own devices, could we be disciplined in all time?

In the other hand I am a hedonist, how many lines can we do, how much sex can we have, where is the maximum joy to be attracted from a moment and catalogued in the electromagnetics of time. Further still is the greatest satisfaction, the satisfaction of producing gratitude. When one is thankful, they can have little and still be given a plentiful bounty of joy, peace and happiness. Even among these paths is a balance as infamous as the creator of all itself.

So who are we? Why do people who sometimes represent as selfless spiritual turn out to be human traffickers, paedophiles and corrupt political and business people? Does the divide between good and evil, selfless and selfish not exist? Or is the balance so suitable it cannot be quantified and tallied in this place of time?

In my quest for answers I find only more questions, for years now I have been selfless enough to be inclined to help someone on my off time. However unable to help myself in this time beyond investing in the needs of others, consciously I need nothing. Not air, not water, food, consciously I have no responsibility to care or to have needs. It is only in the collective of pain do I find my call to arms, that psychological cue that forces me to my feet and puts my mind to work.

However how can I take that as myself, this is actions of spirit. So can I truly take credit, does credit mean anything to you?

Let’s look at two important deities in Asian lore. The laughing Buddha and more traditionally known Buddhism Buddha. If we look at the laughing Buddha, he often smiles, plays, over indulges and gives generously. The more traditional Buddha (Buddha Shakyamuni) does not hold the same qualities of playfulness, blatant joy and generosity as the laughing Buddha. This helps to explain my inquiry with this article for you. Where is the best alignment of self and for others?

Should we climb in our heads with our emotions like the Vulcan’s of Startrek? Or should we live our carnal truth with discipline as adapted by the laughing Buddha? When we live with our heart out we are liable to get hurt, if we live without our heart we are as good as dead. If we live without our voices we are liable to thyroid issues, if we speak our truth to brashly we are liable to death from our oppressors.

In the end the path will become clear when we are ready for it, each day we strive to be a little better aligned. But in the mean time, I will continue to try to live my best life for all, everyone needs to be taken care of before the champions can rest. So let us continue to fight to bring the love, light and truth, and if you find us trapped beneath a champagne supernova, just know we died doing what we loved, or what we learned to love on our path of least resistance.

Please feel encouraged to answer any of the difficult questions I presented and or ask your own question, share your truth and inspiration.

All the best,

Joseph

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budai#:~:text=He%20is%20almost%20always%20shown,especially%20in%20the%20Western%20world.

Laughing Buddha

https://www.gesar-travel.com/10-most-important-buddhas-deities/?lang=en

Other Budda’s

https://www.snsociety.org/spiritual-hedonism-and-beyond/

Article talking to spirituality and hedonism.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_ethics#/media/File:The_wheel_of_life,_Trongsa_dzong.jpg

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