a sermon-ette
"The good and the pleasant are two different things. They motivate a person to pursue two different goals. The one who embraces the good meets with auspiciousness. The one who chooses the pleasant is lost." (Katha Upanishad 1.2.1)
To be human is to possess the capacity to consciously choose and not act merely from instinct. It takes much practice to simply differentiate the two - much less freely choose one versus the other. Most of us don't even know we're in instinct/survival-mode much of the time.
When we choose what is good rather than what is pleasant, our reward is freedom, fullness, & meaning. We finally get a taste of life beyond mere survival. It is in our freedom to choose that we are unique from other creatures and from here that we develop compassion & servitude toward the world around us.
To be human is to possess the capacity to consciously choose and not act merely from instinct. It takes much practice to simply differentiate the two - much less freely choose one versus the other. Most of us don't even know we're in instinct/survival-mode much of the time.
When we choose what is good rather than what is pleasant, our reward is freedom, fullness, & meaning. We finally get a taste of life beyond mere survival. It is in our freedom to choose that we are unique from other creatures and from here that we develop compassion & servitude toward the world around us.
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