"All pleasure cost (somthing). For legitimate you pay the price before pleasure. For illegitimate you pay the price after pleasure. -Ravi Z.

Am I living for Pleasure? II

It was six in the afternoon and I was sitting on my bed attempting to read chapter nine of my Physiology Book. My hands had submitted by propping the book up in a position that aided reading, but my minds with my eyes help were successfully resistant. They were focused on the media that played on a propped up ipod touch resting on a dresser parallel to my bed. While watching the third episode of Blade the television series, I was prompted to ponder a question thrown out by one of the main characters. “Is that what were living for, pleasure?” while the questions purpose did not apply to my situation (having to do with consuming human plasma) the self contained message still echoed in my conscious. The epiphany hit me like a steak through the heart. I was pretending to invest in the future when in actuality I was investing in immediate pleasure that offered no long term benefit to me or humanity. My supposed value for knowledge and degree in clinical psychology was being undercut by my value for pleasure. I was as busted as a thief breaking into a police station; my mind was a double agent working against me.

Other people I know have little problem admitting that pleasure is their first pursuit, but this behavior to me contradicts my credence with Christian dogma. Living for pleasure is a selfish pursuit that reflects a priority to oneself rather than others. It conflicts both the teachings and the life led by Christ and his core disciples. It also minimizes my impact in my desired application of psychology. Such time may be better spent reading counseling literature that could be applied to the young adults I service at Allen County Juvenile Center. It diminishes my authority in Christ by reducing the time available toward spiritual disciplines. Lastly, it hinders progression towards my goals to serve others for Christ overseas by stealing available time better spent planning, preparing, and pursuing for such an endeavor.

You see; some remnants of the implied context of the question remain. We may not have to worry about vampires feeding off our blood, but what do we allow to diminish our life… our impact… our purpose?

We ought to make the best possible use of God given opportunities and should not waste our precious time by neglect or carelessness. Many people say; there is plenty of time to do this or that; don’t worry. But they do not realize that if they do not make good use of this short time, the habit formed now will be so ingrained that when more time is given to us, this habit will become our second nature and we shall waste that time also.” – Sadhu Sundar Singh

“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much” – Jesus (Luke 16:10)