A critical part of the journey to inner peace is the understanding that seeking pleasure is not the same as seeking happiness. Socrates said, “The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms.” Let’s define what it is we are really seeking.

Pleasure is temporary enjoyment. When something happens, we feel good; when it is no longer happening, we look forward to feeling that way again. Pleasure is dependent on some other condition being present (the chocolate cake, the thrill ride, the fabulous kisser, the exotic island, the forbidden lover). When that condition is absent, we feel dissatisfied. Pleasure-seeking becomes a roller coaster of amazingly exhilarating peaks and depressingly unexciting troughs.

Posted in choices, happiness, inner peace, pleasure, serenity 2 Comments »

I wish I could say that I was always as blissfully serene as I am today. For a long time my life was completely chaotic and exhausting. But after a few personal tragedies and several years of dedicated philosophical study, I can honestly say that now–I am. I live. I breathe. I enjoy.

Now my challenge is no longer to find happiness, but to maintain it. Obstacles to inner peace are always trying to slither their way back into my life. Maintaining lasting happiness, and helping others find theirs, is my primary goal. Therefore, I have developed a little routine to help me focus my efforts on a daily basis. In essence, it is an outline for a simple, contented life.

Posted in about me, balance, serenity, simplicity 9 Comments »

Bad habits are a lot like kudzu in that they tend to sleep, creep, and leap. For those of you unfamiliar with kudzu, I have included a lovely photo by Jack Anthony of Dahlonega, Georgia. This invasive weed and our destructive behaviors are also similar in the sense that you probably would rather not have either one–but we’ll stick to my primary analogy here.

At first, kudzu will “sleep”, taking a while to get firmly rooted. Similarly, our propensity toward certain bad habits or addictions often lays dormant for a long time, waiting for just the right conditions to start creeping in. At some point in life we all, inevitably, have to deal with stress, depression, grief, anxiety, or some other unpleasant condition. At those times, our dormant tendency starts to gain strength (laziness, overeating, smoking, etc.) as a coping mechanism.

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