Choices

 This essay addresses conflicts in “seeking happiness” and the choices of “avoiding of pain.” First a few realities. We have a mind-body that changes in negative and problematic ways during aging. Simply put, we are mortal. Second, we live in nature with its wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods etc. Third, we interact with people in a sociological, capitalistic economic and political society with its rules, regulations, laws and injustices among and between individuals. Navigation within these three realities is certainly most stressful which challenges the   pursuit of happiness and  the continued desperate attempts to avoid misery and pain.

Some of our pleasure and pain avoiding behaviors in dealing with these three realities include the following: 1. We consume alcohol, take drugs or food in order to intoxicate and numb our senses. Some distort and say they are pursuing happiness or pleasurable sensations. Some might say they are avoiding pain and uncomfortable sensations. More specifically, drinking alcohol and drug use has short-term and long-term effects. It allows us to withdraw from others; remove painful experiences caused by others and/or injuries and disease. Do not forget about addiction. How many live with excruciating pain and choose surgery for a solution? 

Surgery is accompanied by drugs before and after. It’s not surprising that the pharmaceutical industry created the blocking of pain. In so doing, this industry also created drug dependence and addiction with its opium/opioid concoctions. Initially, pain was removed in the short-term but the long-term effects are disastrous leading to addiction and death in many cases. We now are beginning to legalize marijuana in order to assist individuals in coping with the realities of living. Drugs, in the long term, do not solve the many issues facing individuals but they do assist people with some managing of their discomfort and problems with their reality.

Take a look at the profits of the food and pharmaceutical industry. They certainly are doing exceptionally well and have profited from the 2018 tax cuts. Recently it was reported that billion dollars’ worth of cocaine was seized in Philadelphia. That sounds like quite a demand for pleasure and/or drug treatment. It’s clear that Homo sapiens want to withdraw from the external world with all its harmful stress and toxic issues.

2. We numb our cognition and escape into TV, movies, sports, novels, electronic games etc. We create imagination, Illusions and fantasy through displacement mechanisms and the vehicle of entertainment. A clear way to escape reality and bring short-term pleasure is our involvement in the entertainment industry. Make no mistake about it, going to the movies is a short-term cost effective way for forgetting about one’s troubles and ills. One can identify with the strong, handsome and protective protagonist combating the villain. The male and female lead actors resolve their difficulties and live and love each other in bliss and happiness. That’s an example of a feel-good couple of hours. Or, there can be a death or reunion on film that allows the individual to feel emotions commonly not experienced. Yes, film-TV are diversions as one can incorporate their own illusion and own fantasy during and after viewing. Once again, there can be moments of so called happiness coupled with more time of avoiding pain and discomfort.

 3. We have painful and toxic interpersonal relationships. We aggressively attack others and even wage large scale wars against humanity on grounds of defense. We are going to attack them there before they attack us. This third way of avoiding inner discomfort or internal suffering is to direct aggression outward toward others. Sadism can have a sexual component as well as a motive of power to control and humiliate another. Beating up on someone physically or employing verbal sadistic exchange once again can have short-term effects of perhaps pleasure and avoiding internal pain. Just think of the amount and degree of sexual and physical abuse of children that takes place. Just think of the brutality performed and exhibited by the military and the police in various situations. Sometimes they say it’s for their own protection or survival. That would be avoiding pain. Hopefully, it would not be for some form of pleasure, power, control or satisfaction.

. A more productive way to withdraw and possibly, to bring happiness and quietness into your being is through yoga. No obvious side effects there. Just keep up a regular routine. Another way to possibly experience happiness and avoid pain would be through creative and intellectual pursuits as in drawing, painting, writing or performing and listening to music. No obvious lethal side effects there. Instead of expressing harmful aggression outwards towards another, become involved in competitive sports or play. In essence, one might be able to experience ways of dealing with pleasure and avoiding pain. Just find them, if you can. However, can we control our nature or mental life to seek something other than pleasure and avoiding pain since we don’t do either very well? It might be easier to avoid pain than finding happiness.