My new word for today is hedonism. I looked it up on Google (wikipedia, etc) after reading some of my friends' MySpace profiles and noticing a trend towards "I love anything that makes me feel good. Peace. Love. Fun, fun, fun."
It seems to me that hedonism, in its various forms, is an existential expression of my desire to be happy and to do things that make me happy. If I identify with this body as being me, and the senses and sense objects as being mine, if I am the enjoyer, if I am the doer, then happiness equals sense gratification, body gratification, mind gratification. Pleasing my senses, mind, and body will make me happy. I will pursue beautiful sunsets, cool ocean breezes, dance the night away till I drop... enjoy healthy food, be active, attend good parties, appreciate beauty, practice yoga, love nature... an live a happy, healthy, hippy life :-) If I'm feeling altruistic, I may extend my hedonsim to my friends, family, community, country... or the entire human race, and wish for them to live an equally happy, healthy, hippy life.
But wait, there's a problem.
Theoretically I understand I'm not this body. I'm not this mind. I'm not these senses. I am not the enjoyer. I am not the doer. I am not the owner of the beautiful sunsets, ocean breezes, and the permutations of matter around me. ("But it feels so good - it must be good.")
I'm the spirit soul within, servant of the servant of Krishna.
Can the very thought of focusing on "my pleasure" instead of Krishna's pleasure ever make me happy?
What if I think, "by serving Krishna, I will be happy." Krishna conscious, dovetailed hedonism?
Or if I approach kirtana, prasadam, festivals, devotee association with the desire to enjoy these things?
What are your thoughts on this topic?
Is there any scope for hedonsim in Krishna consciousness, or are the two ideas categorically opposed?
