In some very deep level, all pleasure creates its own offsetting pain and fear of loss on the other side.

I had a tweet recently where I said,

in an age of abundance, pursuing pleasure for its own sake creates addiction.

I was upgrading an old Miyamoto Musashi line.

Do not pursue pleasure for its own sake.

Musashi and his Japanese swordsman.

In his time, when you pursued pleasure, it might mean a very different thing.

He didn't have unlimited processed food.

He didn't have internet pornography, marijuana, or alcohol available on demand.

Now that we're in age of abundance, if we pursue pleasurable things directly for their own sake,

we land into addiction very easily, which is part to get out of.

I think the modern struggle is really about alone individuals disconnected from their tribe,

disconnected from their religions, disconnected from their cultural networks,

trying to stand up to all these things that have been weaponized, alcohol, drugs,

pornography, processed foods, news media, internet, social media, video games.

With these things, you can basically engage in fake play and fake work.

Before you would have to go socialize with your friends,

now you just get drunk with a bunch of strangers and it's easy and good.

Before you would have had to go find a mate and have sex and create children, raise a family,

now you just watch a lot of porn.

Before you might have needed to go climb trees and hunt and get fruit for a little bit of natural sweet.

Now you can just buy all the gelato that you want.

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