Desperation of the Hedonist

“Happiness is never the goal; it is a byproduct of living a meaningful life”

-Quote by Jordan Peterson (non-verbatim / paraphrased)

“Be happy, live in the present,” says the common man. But the common man often confuses hedonistic pleasures with happiness. They indulge in sensual delights, instantly gratifying their desires, thinking that they are wiser than the mules chasing their carrots. They drink, party, dance, have sex, larking around in this garden of materialistic ecstasy.

But keep on doing that for a few years, and anyone would find themselves in a state of emptiness. “What does this momentary pleasure mean in the face of the eternal darkness that awaits me?” he contemplates.

Chasing for happiness is like desperately trying to get into fishy short-termed opportunities to earn quick cash (i.e. it doesn’t work). Play the long game: make yourself useful, and money will come to you; build up a charismatic persona, and girls will go chasing after you instead. Likewise, happiness is not a tangible target, you can’t aim to grasp happiness because it doesn’t have a solid form.

So instead, get a hold of yourself and aim to live a meaningful life. Bear the cross of responsibility and aim at the pursuit of value. Only then will true happiness come, one more eternal than mere sensual pleasures:

The feeling of having a fulfilled life of value!

…although what constitutes meaning is still part of the riddle.