Hedonism
 

Do you guys have experience in the religious aspects of hedonism?

During college one of my best friends was a Hindu priest. We had a moment together and he said something that has burned holes in my mind.

He said that while he was training for priesthood he learned three ways to achieve it. The first was to be born into it. The second was to be schooled into it, which was his path.

The third was to learn from failure, e.g. hedonism.

We had that conversation when we were in our twenties. Twenty years later there is one part of that conversation that echoes -- my friend said that he didn't believe in the perspective of hedonism until he met me.

To this day I don't trust religious leaders unless they speak as close to the truth as he did.

We never became common friends, but the quiet moment we shared made me realize the fine line that real politics dances on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2P_RJJYjzY

Veering OT but it's a good tune, Ed.;)

More serious now. As far as I can see, hedonism and religion are antithetical. Then we had the rise of the televangelists in the '70s and '80s.

Given the choice, I'll pick hedonism. Every time.;)

I know a woman who raised in strict religious family. She followed the religious path to please her family, an ordained Minister and holds a Master of Divinity. Then, she went back to college one more time seeking some other Theology degree and fell to the temptation of Hedonism. Even worked as a stripper and occasionally ".....other things that I'm not too proud of." for a couple years. Sex-n-drugs and Rock-n-Roll, BABY!

Now, she's confused. She'll quote Bible verse while discussing what's wrong with todays society in one breath, then strike up a conversation about BDSM/oral/anal/bisexual/group sex and the effects of mixing weed and alcohol with cocaine in the next.

Dave

The current defenition of hedonism sems to be only concerned with sex whereas it used to mean that pleasure was the highest good, so define pleasure. Surely one can find pleasure in many ways and places.

Exactly. People always identify 'hedonism' with various extremes. Can't one be a hedonist and enjoy walks in the park and afternoon tea?

It can of course be argued that many churchies are hedonists too--they just enjoy being respectable churchgoers.

What goes on, though, is that persons who have totally rejected certain areas of pleasure, due to adherence to strict rules, have no judgement and experience to enable them to exercise any restraint, if they let the rules go.

A quote has turned up that notes this pattern:

When they come downstairs from their Ivory Towers, Idealists are very apt to walk straight into the gutter.
- Logan Pearsall Smith, 1865 - 1946

www.qotd.org

I thought that was "indulgence"?

Dave

Funny you should bring that up.

I've noticed than when a lot of people crawl out of the gutter and ascent to their Ivory Tower they become Idealists. Often insufferable Idealists.

Or in the words of Cap't Jack, "There ain't no sumbitch like a REFORMED sumbitch."

Chas

Interesting lives these people have, anyway.