The Soul of Pleasure

Most religious traditions frown on the pursuit of pleasure. I think we can all imagine why this would be so - that the pursuit of pleasure can interfere with moral conduct. In particular, sexual pleasure and pleasures of food, 'pleasures of the flesh,' are considered dangerous temptations. Serious adherents of many religions seek deeper spiritual understanding through privation from physical pleasures. But I am prone to see pleasure as a worthwhile end in itself, one with spiritual or soulful contents.

Pleasure should not be confused with obsession or gluttony. Pleasure is actually something a bit difficult to achieve. The mindless pursuit of lusts does not create pleasure. Rather, pleasure is only the result of a refined attention and a patient experience. In some sense, pleasure grasped is pleasure destroyed. The pleasurable experience of the senses is something that requires an appreciation of the present, a keen awareness.

The soul of pleasure is thankfulness. Thankfulness is our most element and basic relationship with God. When we are capable of nothing else, no other capacity, we are still capable of thankfulness. In pleasure, we acknowledge God's gift of the senses, we acknowledge the amazing coincidence that is sweetness and beauty. A soulful pleasure, one that does not grasp or horde, is a melodious prayer to God's ears.

The soul of pleasure is increased still more when it is shared in good company. To share the gifts and bounty of nature with kindred spirits - is there a higher calling in our life than this? I think in the light of full awareness and full thankfullness, pleasure is a boon to the soul and not a burden.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Idea of "White Supremacy Culture" is Offensive

Anyone with a cursory knowledge of history and cultures knows that all cultures have both oppressive and liberatory aspects. Historically, it was quite typical to conquer, kill, and enslave neighboring groups or nations - just ask the Aztecs or the Mongols. Historically, European and American culture are rife with oppressive aspects, but not particularly more so than any other culture. Part of the joy of being an Unitarian Universalist for me has been its openly syncretic approach to finding wisdom; that is, we seek great wisdom from all cultures, and at least historically have been able to borrow and build upon such wisdom without apology. In my own personal experience, I have gained wisdom from European, Asian, African, and Native American cultures, among others; as well as Christian, Islamic, Jewish, Buddhist, and Pagan beliefs. To pursue truth and wisdom wherever you find it has historically been one of our great blessings. With new walls being erected about certain traditional bel
Read more

Universalism and Color Translucency

 I believe in universalism. That is, I believe what connects us as human beings is more important than what divides us. The inherent worth and dignity of all persons. That all persons are entitled to dignity and respect. It's not a new belief. It's not an easy belief. Conceptually it's quite simple. And yet I don't think it needs revision. I don't think it needs an asterisk. I think universalism is a concept that can endure across time and across space. The love that I feel is not different than the love you feel. Nor is the pain or the suffering or the yearning. Nor is my flawed nature. My mortal nature. My limited nature. We are different in so many particulars, and yet we share so much in common as human beings. Put it another way. I think our common humanity is more important than our hyphenated humanity. We are different races, genders, sexualities, ages, and capabilities but none of this should divide us irreconcilably. It is possible to connect across these d
Read more

Two Types of Community Conversations

When I think about what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist and how that might change, I think about two different ways of having conversations. If the first way, we start from the principle of universal human equality and human dignity. We start from the approach that the search for truth is grounded in love. This is based upon our current Seven Principles. Based upon these principles, all voices will be given equal weight and an equal chance to be heard. And those listening will endeavor to listen charitably, with an ear to acknowledging and empathizing with what each speaker says. Under such conditions the growth of mutual understanding is possible. While agreement will not always be reached, we can build community through this process of recognizing each other, including recognizing our very real differences. In the second way, we start from the assumption that all verbal interactions should be seen through the lens of unequal power. People of color, women, and LGBTQ people hav
Read more