Good Pleasures : Social and Spiritual
Last but no least, good pleasures can be social or spiritual in nature. Spiritual pleasure or peace of mind may be the most important needs for some of us.
SOCIAL CONNECTIONS
Biologically, a child as young as 2 months old is able to smile at her Mummy when she or he is feeling pleased or well fed. What a beautiful connection between 2 human beings ! At the age of 9 months, the child is able to call “papa” or “mama” with eye contact – at 1 year old, they could wave and say “bye bye”.
So, human beings are essentially relational and we derive much pleasures from meaningful relationships. What motivates us to connect? It is the pleasure of being loved as well as expressing love and care.
Clinical psychologist and relationship expert, Dr. Gary Chapman wrote the bestseller, The Five Love Languages, which is now a classic. He described the 5 love languages :
- Words of affirmation ( encouragement and support )
- Physical touch
- Spending time ( Making time for people who are special to us )
- Thoughtful simple gifts / surprises
- Act of service ( being helpful)
With the flourishing cafes all over the world, such as Starbucks, Coffee Bean, etc and in Malaysia, many enjoyed the simple “mamak” shop, it is always good to catch up with family or friends to enjoy a great chat and laughter.
No man is an island, entire of itself ; every man is a piece of the continent.
by John Donne
SPIRITUAL ( PEACE OF MIND )
Now, at a deeper level, spiritually, all of us are in search of inner peace, calm and serenity.
Frankly speaking, we cannot be happy all the time. We cannot depend on other people to make us happy. If that happens, we may end up feeling depressed most of the time. But, we can all seek peace for ourselves.
In order to find peace, we need to discover meaning and truth.
We can find meaning, truth and peace when we have found the roadmap / guidebook on living a good life. Life is like a game of treasure hunt, searching for the treasures and meaning in life. So let us not walk alone but as a community in this game called LIFE.
The fruits of the spiritual journey are plenty. It is peace, love, joy,kindness, thankfulness and contentment.
So, let us enjoy good and healthy pleasures. 🙂
