Most of us would be inclined to believe that pleasure and virtue have an inversely proportional relationship: the more pleasure we feel, the less virtuous we are. Hence the expression “guilty pleasures”.
An act is considered moral if it brings more pleasure than suffering and is considered immoral if it produces suffering and not pleasure. When we make value judgments we must not consider the deed itself (is it right to do this?), Nor its consequences on others (if I do this what will happen?). But we must only consider the feelings that this provokes in us. If I do this will I feel better?
This judgment is indeed relative. For example, the same act committed by different people or even by the same person but in different conditions can be both moral if it causes pleasure, and immoral if it causes suffering.
We humans are not necessarily virtuous because we like it, but because it gives us pleasure. Virtue can be found in many things. If all conditions are favorable, many deeds can be virtuous. But where there is a virtue, there is also pleasure, and automatically and happiness.
The virtuous man shows courage because he wants to live without worries, and not because he would value courage in itself. And when you are brave you can easily be without worries. In the same way, the virtuous man can be tempered not because he appreciates temperance but because he acquires his inner peace through it.
A happy life does not only consist of moments when pleasure is greater than suffering. All pleasures are good, but not all must be sought and all sufferings are missed, but not all are to be avoided. That is why it is good to know when to give up pleasure and accept the moment’s suffering for greater and longer-lasting pleasure.
Every day, we balance pleasure and suffering. But not all are elevated. It is important to know when to give up and what to choose to bring us happiness and joy in the end. For example, although at first physical exercises may seem painful and even tedious, they eventually lead to happy results: more energy, a more beautiful body, more self-confidence, and so on. Certainly, all these long-term gains deserve short-term suffering.
When someone is truly happy, then no problem, no trouble can ruin his happiness. Because happiness is a decision that applies to life as a whole, and cannot be affected by a single moment of suffering. Achieving happiness does not imply the search for country sensations or momentary pleasures, but on the contrary, it presupposes a state of reconciliation in which we do not let ourselves be overwhelmed by everything negative around us.
It’s true, in theory, it sounds nice, but can it be valid in practice? Sure, but we must really want to be happy, be patient with ourselves, and know what makes us truly happy; for, as the philosopher Epicurus says, “we become truly happy not when we fulfill our desires, but when we realize that we want nothing more.”
