A man relishes certain pleasures.
There are certain things we enjoy. Truly enjoy. Experiencing those things gives us a moment of happiness and genuine joy. Pleasure. Gratification. Delight. Satisfaction. Fulfillment.
Some things fulfill a need that is biologically necessary. We need food. We take pleasure form certain specific foods. My favorite steak is the porterhouse. Logically I can explain why I am delighted with the combination of the two most tender cuts of beef, the rib eye and the tenderloin. What more could a man want than a large meaty piece of tender juicy steak cooked to a tad under medium rare?
Other foods I simply enjoy, not because they provide nutrition, like protein but because they provide a eating experience I covet. Eggplant and deep fired mushrooms (with horseradish sauce) have little to offer biologically, but man are they good.
Activities like fishing or hunting can provide a rational benefit but mostly we do them for other reasons. I enjoy hunting and do it. I eat what I kill. The same is true with fishing. Except, I've caught way more fish than I have bothered to clean and eat. I used to make a pilgrimage up to Northern Ontario to fish. You could only eat so much fish there before you tired of it. They only let you take a certain amount home with you. Yet I was never more pleased than when I had a 100 fish day. All but a handful of those fish were thrown back.
SEX. As soon as every man reading that last sentence saw it, he pictured it. Men instantly know and categorize sexual experiences. Every man knows the distinct differences between inadequate, better than nothing, OK, good, great and AMAZING sex. We also know which of the categories we are likely to experience this weekend.
Intellectually we have things that intrigue us. For me its theology and science. I'm not an expert in either of those subjects but I derive pleasure from both.
Entertainment has its place as well. Be it hobbies, sports, TV, or surfing the net; we do it because we like it. We have our toys too. Sometimes they are expensive, sometimes not. Substances, like coffee, tobacco and alcohol are a source of pleasure.
Pleasure brings fulfillment. It doesn't have to be permanent. Most things are not. We get hungry again. We need more sex. There is always next hunting season, or another ball game, or more to learn.
Pleasure. If time, money, freedom health, etc are not barriers what would you do with yourself? What would bring you pleasure?
"Intellectually we have things that intrigue us. For me its theology and science. I'm not an expert in either of those subjects but I derive pleasure from both"
ReplyDeleteWe're on the same page, there. If I had the wherewithal, I would spend some time investigating Biblical history (not History as described in the Bible, but the history of the Bible itself), and anti-gravity (the only viable way to bring flying cars to the masses).
"If time, money, freedom health, etc are not barriers what would you do with yourself?"
As above, but mostly I would spend more time with my family.
Women have long understood the value of comfort food. Something in the wiring tells us that when there has been too much of life to deal with, it is time for a reset(or timeout) of our mind or soul or whatever you want to call it.
ReplyDeleteI think that God wired us to once in a while just stop and get back to the basics of our lives. All this tech stuff doesn't let us have the quiet time that we need to just be by ourselves and to THINK.
I believe He is ok with all the stuff we have invented to make our lives easier, He just doesn't appreciate it when we let it take over our lives to the point where we forget Him along with the basics.
One of the sad things of life regarding hunting is that you will never get the chance to have my late maternal grandfather lead you as part of a hunting party.
ReplyDeleteI promise you, he was one of those cagey men of the woods that ensured any hunting party he guided ALWAYS bagged limit. Always.
It was kind of funny as a kid watching grown men practically beg like little boys to be part of the group that went on a particular hunting trip. Part of it my dad always told me was that he was probably the world's best camp cook.
"If time, money, freedom health, etc are not barriers what would you do with yourself?"
ReplyDeleteI would build a large observatory on a Dark tall mountain in the Southwest with a large facility for educational purposes. It would host lectures for scientists from mainstream to alternative cosmological theories. It would be a place where evryone wiwas welcome, not just the dark matter/global warming crowd. We could even have ancient biblical theorists from the Watchers to the Nephelim and ancient biblical archeology.
Also I would build a hospital ship for international waters where alternative treatments for disease could be explored without government and cooperate tampering.
I like being outside. This fall I plan to run a small trapline to check on the way to work. I might make enough money to pay for the traps I bought.
ReplyDeleteMost things are fun if done for awhile. If a person ran enough traps to make a living it would get to be hard work in a hurry.