the unnecessary rewards of pleasure

[keannu]

I think this writing is too abstract, and do you know what "the unnecessary rewards of pleasure" means?

st237
ex)One of the problems of our time is that there are few effective memes for self-restraint left. For most people the notion of sin is hopelessly old-fahioned, and secular attempts to channel energy into complex goals - such as the concept of good citizenship, of professional pride, of law and order, of disciplined responsibility - have also lost much of their grip on human consciouness. Yet the need to help individuals see the necessity for self-discipline is as urgent as ever. Perhaps if we understood that to determine the course of the future we require all our attention, every last spark of psychic energy, we would be more willing to restrain the natural greed of the self, and heed the call of complexity. After all, it's not a bad bargain. In exchange for the unnecessary rewards of pleasure, we gain the always exciting joys of spiritual growth.

 

[Gillnetter]

I think this writing is too abstract, and do you know what "the unnecessary rewards of pleasure" means?

st237
ex)One of the problems of our time is that there are few effective memes for self-restraint left. For most people the notion of sin is hopelessly old-fahioned, and secular attempts to channel energy into complex goals - such as the concept of good citizenship, of professional pride, of law and order, of disciplined responsibility - have also (lost, not gained) [STRIKE]gained [/STRIKE]much of their grip on human consciouness. Yet the need to help individuals see the necessity for self-discipline is as urgent as ever. Perhaps if we understood that to determine the course of the future we require all our attention, every last spark of psychic energy, we would be more willing to restrain the natural greed of the self, and heed the call of complexity. After all, it's not a bad bargain. In exchange for (the redundant rewards of pleasure) the unnecessary rewards of pleasure, we gain the always exciting joys of spiritual growth.

I see that you have changed some words, and left out some words, from the original text in the book, "The Evolving Self". Redundant and unnecessary do not share the exact meanings. Redundant is more than is needed while unnecessary is not needed at all.

#1. Unnecessary = Not needed, not required, something extra in a negative sense, of little or no importance.
#2. Rewards = Gain, a payment, a return of sorts.
#3. Pleasure = A positive sensation; either physical or mental.

So, here we have a physical or mental feeling, or sensation, or emotion, which in truth, is an unimportant gain.

The writer is saying that the unimportant emotions we receive from pleasure is small compared to the many joys received when a person achieves a better understanding of spiritual matters.

 

[keannu]

Yes, it is a question with a few words changed, and I forgot to change "gained" to "lost".
But in the question, there still was "the unnecessary rewards of pleasure," not "(the redundant rewards of pleasure)", so I need to check out the original text. Did the test-maker make a mistake or what happened?
By (the redundant rewards of pleasure),do you mean we gain both such pleasure and spiritual gain, but the latter is bigger than the former?

 

[White Hat]

The phrase "the redundant rewards of pleasure" implies the temporary bliss that someone might experience. For example, a glutton will feel great when eating hamburgers and French fries, but, in reality, his pigging out will do little good to him, in the end. Or a junkie will feel great when on drugs, but, in reality, it's a dead-end activity. These people are rewarded with feeling great, but, in reality, they are getting away from the Source.

 

[bhaisahab]

The phrase "the redundant rewards of pleasure" implies the temporary bliss that someone might experience. For example, a glutton will feel great when eating hamburgers and French fries, but, in reality, his pigging out will do little good to him, in the end. Or a junkie will feel great when on drugs, but, in reality, it's a dead-end activity. These people are rewarded with feeling great, but, in reality, they are getting away from the Source.

What "Source" would that be?

 

[White Hat]

God?

 

[bhaisahab]

God?

That presupposes belief in a god or gods.

 

[White Hat]

If you are really interested in this stuff, I suggest you read "Mesmeric Revelation" by Edgar Allan Poe. I absolutely fell in love with that work of his. I've read it both in Russian and English. See what he says about the so-called Unparticled Matter.

 

[Gillnetter]

As a matter of integrity one cannot arbitrarily change certain words and hope to get a meaningful answer that corresponds to the text. I assume that the designer of the test did not truly understand the difference between "redundant" and "unnecessary". The "redundant rewards of pleasure" seems to point to the fact that pleasure is, in fact, limited in scope. The rewards one receives from pleasure tend to the same time-after-time. If one is willing to forgo the easy life full of misdeeds and strive for spirituality the joy, one can realize the growth of the spirit.