The basis of well being and comfort is that a bodily existence becomes the crude measure of being. There is a search almost an obsessiveness with the bodily comfort from the moment of awakening in the world. The baby is maintained with all its needs fulfilled. Based on this, one’s whole future is planned and ensuring that one is prepared to be part of a vicious circle which connives at a base level and which takes all of one’s attention.
The toddler is then set up for its schooling process from pre-nursery passing through primary, secondary stages towards tertiary forms and afterwards at accomplishment through accolades and other recognitions; the newly awakened is deemed ready to commence its search in the world. Associated with the physical comfort are also aspects of the usual dosage of cultural, emotional and other hosts of strategies which sets the newcomer up to play its part.
The basic instinct of the temporal remains the base of being in the form of ‘eat, drink and be merry’ aspect which are the fun ways to be. Around it one seeks bodily comfort: all about feeling good and or better and better as the temporal is based on deriving the most pleasure that one may beget from the senses and so aspects of these are then explored through others and so are meeting along with others who also follow a similar strategy at deriving a pleasurable life.
Happiness becomes the measure of being or its search and the foundation of life is thus based on pleasure to the avoidance of pain or aspects of reducing pain whilst promoting and enhancing the ‘fun’ type approach in the world about us.
A look at the other. Desires are awakened, leading onwards on to touch followed by further engagement and of coming together with the process intensifying and resulting in others being also thrown into the world arena. And so, a new cycle begins all over again… all based on desires and its fulfilment. Nothing more. Nothing less and hence the cyclical affair!
If all we do is the mere participating in eating, drinking and mating by fulfilment of desires one wonders whether there is if at all a movement towards another realm…… i.e. is there more to life or are we merely condemned just to be via a debased way of being which some see as being indeed the basis of everything that one needs to aim for?
The road to a superficial existence is clear. It is that of chasing after comfort, the pleasures from the other or momentary comfort which prize one away from a non -material existence through a touch, developing into commitment and or almost some kind of ownership where the ideas of me-ism take precedence over the reflective self. The latter is relegated in the background whilst all that matters is that the petty self is in action and its all about its survival and enhancement. The mundane simply further entangles the self into subjugation of a certain way to be; its opposite causes one to reflect and seek and or explore alternative ways to be.
However, the vicious circle into which one is in is not an easy conundrum to get out of. The temptation of the senses and its pleasant ways are far too appealing for the bodily self not to seek comfort from. One easily may fall prey to by some sweet words, a touch, or a cuddle which in the beginning appear like nectar but in the end is a recipe for disaster in that it is a start towards conformity and of modifying oneself from a level of non- mundane towards the superficial where gratification of the senses becomes the way ahead rather than seeking to comprehend the nature of being and of life. The trap means one is fallen to be what one is not that is an object for the other, where the other may feel that he/she has ‘carte blanche’ to do as one pleases over the one or several others.
The truth to be sure is that the warmth, the feeling of closeness is all part of a bodily comfort towards which one is enslaved almost in submission. It is a good feeling to have that approval of the other. It is a daily struggle. Only in relaxation and meditation may one come to the fore in seeing that that the ways of the senses are a road towards destruction of the self. There is more to life than plain bodily comfort and or enjoyments and the sooner that one realises this one’s life takes another stride in exploration.
Or we may observe by saying that the ‘preyic’ form to borrow a Sanskrit term as proposed by the mundane way which although comforting and pleasant leads to one’s downfall eventually. The path that may lead to either more attachment or adopting of a crude way of being thereby further entangling of others as being the ‘way’ ahead. The joy and sense of good feeling which this means provide is almost immeasurable. Its ways are adopted in every field of life, forming the basis of everything that was, is and will be.
No other format is searched for. The bodily part takes over the way ahead and its gratification becomes the primary concern. One is only motivated through this form of being where all is a question of similar self (read basic fulfilment). With this approach lacks a sense of being-ness which is pre-conclusive by making the mundane the be and end all of everything.
To be sure, it is up to the individual and society to shrug free of this bizarre form of being, Will it better adopt that ‘Sreyic’ aspect, (another Sanskrit term …. opposite of ‘preyic’) which although not pleasant is verily finally the way towards securing a way to be which is for one’s own benefit. Or what Jesus has observed for instance ‘treasure not your riches on the earth where moth gathers but seek that which is heaven’ where all is free from the mundane way.
Does it make sense to question the ways of the world or should one just be also immersed in its ways and seek that sense of happiness along with its contradictions, conflicts, anger and hatred or; is there a more noble way to be?