Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Pleasure and Community Service

Pleasure was defiantly the prevalent aim to research for this first assignment. It wasn’t difficult neither surprising at all to find music based on pleasure or sex. I think it is because pleasure is more about instant gratification, getting to have what you want when you want it. On a positive level a person can find pleasure from sexual encounters, sweetly just holding hands, from just being loved or loving someone. But in most cases people think pleasure they think sex. Especially in the west people tend to flock toward music and movies and same such entertainment because it’s more forbidden and enticing. Although I do believe pleasure walks a fine line, if it’s excessive I feel like it could almost be a negative aim in life.
For instance if a person was so busy with their own personal pleasure and happiness they’d forget about their rightful duty to help others. Perhaps even turn their cheeks on others in need of just a little help. For example the third aim, Community service, which was a lot more challenging to find music for.  I honestly believe everyone should get more involve and realize that even the smallest helping hand in a community could go a long way to inspiring happiness and maybe even pleasure into another person’s life, so in essence the aims could be interconnected.
 I think American pop music almost makes theses aspects of life especially pleasure feel almost grimy or sleazy at times, but what about the pleasure in the simple things? I think that’s what people should think of first when their faced with idea of pleasure. These things are normal and innate in us, for us to fulfill our human urges.  After reading up on some of the Hindu perspectives on such things, it’s almost an honor or a natural way of living there. It‘s excepted to live this way, to help your neighbor, and your family, to live in more of a kind of unity. To take pleasure in life and sensation, as if in doing so respecting your body the way it was meant to be.

2 comments:

  1. Like we learned in class, in some forms of Hinduism, essential you = God. So if your soul equals God doesn't that make your body, a temple - a place in which God is housed, a place of worship. Thus, I agree with your statement that satisfying your body respectfully is a way to strive towards the ultimate goal of Hinduism which is liberation.

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  2. I like the way you tied the two together which not many people will probably think of. I agree with you on the way that American pop music seems the cheapen the way we look at pleasure but i feel like it is simply just because sex sells and maybe the overuse or abuse of these feelings or images makes us feel a little sleazy on some level.

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