Aduanas

45 ways for wisdom

http://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/48ways/
What pleasures does a parent want his children to enjoy? Good food, fun vacations, tennis, music. Wonderful!But when they turn 25 and would still rather play tennis than work, you start thinking, “Get on with your life, already.” It’s nice to enjoy an occasional game of tennis, but life has got to offer more than just“fun.” You’d like your children to have a meaningful career, to get married, to have children.
If they turn 35 and they are playing tennis day and night, you’re screaming, “Help!”
Judaism says that God is our Father in Heaven, and we are His children. Just like any parent, God wants His children to enjoy life’s pleasures.
There are five different levels of pleasure—each a class unto itself.
THEPLEASURE PLANE
The different classes of pleasure can be compared to seats on an airplane. The best way to travel is first class. The second best way? Second class. Of course nobody wants to think of themselves as traveling second class, so they call it Business Class, Executive Class, or Ambassador Class.
Third class? That’s Tourist, Coach, or Economy.
What’s fourth class? They put you down below withthe animals in the baggage compartment.
Fifth class? They give you a rope and say, “Hang on!”
Everybody would rather travel first class. But some people never figure out how. They travel their whole life in fifth class, just barely hanging on. And, the sad thing is, sometimes it becomes too hard and they let go.

THE MEASURE OF PLEASURE
Each of these five classes of pleasures is so uniquethat you cannot exchange 10 units of fifth class pleasure for even one unit of fourth class pleasure. If you were starving, would you trade a good meal for a sky view of Manhattan? Would you trade the love of your life for a beach front home on the Riviera?
One pleasure cannot be measured against another. So how do you assign a value to any given pleasure? Imagine pleasure as horsepower. Pleasuregives you energy. If you have pleasure, you are raring to go with the confidence to tackle difficult jobs. You can put up with a lot of aggravation, because the power you get from pleasure propels you.
In trying to evaluate the worth of a given pleasure, ask yourself: When I eat ice cream, how much pleasure, how much energy, do I get from it? If I listen to music, how much energy do I get? If Ilove someone, how energized does that make me feel? Is that more, or less, than eating an ice cream cone? That’s a rational way of measuring it.
COUNTERFEIT PLEASURES
Sometimes, people believe they are getting real pleasure—but they get cheated. For example, sex is a real pleasure, but pornography is counterfeit. It only stimulates lust, and you end up depressed instead of energized. It may seemexciting at first, but excitement and energy are not the same and should not be confused.
The most widely sold counterfeit pleasure in the Western world is decadence. Here’s why it is counterfeit:
When asked what is the opposite of pain, most people will say pleasure. But the absence of pain doesn’t automatically equal pleasure!
The opposite of pain is not pleasure; the opposite of pain iscomfort. Many people think the ultimate pleasure is a vacation in Hawaii—sacking out on a waterbed, a cool breeze wafting through the window, a tall drink, every muscle in your body relaxed. But don’t let yourself fall asleep—because then you’ll miss the whole thing!
Sleep and comfort is painless. But that is not the goal of living!
In reality, pain is the price you pay for pleasure. If you want tograduate college and get a good job, you have to study hard. If you want to become an Olympic gold-medal champion, you have to experience the pain of sore muscles. You are not going to get there on a beach in Hawaii.
Equating comfort with pleasure is counterfeit. Real pleasure comes only as a result of effort.
THE PRICE OF PLEASURE
To succeed in the pursuit of pleasure, you have to focus...