The harder we try to find a place
free of troubles or challenges the harder it gets. We have created 'zones' like
pubs, theatres, malls and gaming arcades to spend our time to keep our worries
at bay and replacing them with momentary fun. But once we leave those zones our
worries come flooding back ferocious than before and push us to greater depths
of depression and gloom. Alcohol, smoking and opioids are other forms of
pleasures transporting us to an ecstasy world for a very short time and then
promptly kicks us back to reality. Thus, the problem of pleasure can be defined
this way. Every time we go back to what we thought was happiness, we have to
dig our feet much deeper in the sand the next time to derive more satisfaction
than in the previous attempt and it is less satisfying.
The proverbs of Solomon (the
wisest king in the Bible) records, “Everything is wearisome beyond
description.”. He was a king who enjoyed enormous wealth, indulged in
every form of pleasure imaginable and available at his time and yet at the end
of everything his analysis was that everything is wearisome beyond description.
There is no ingenious invention that can guarantee a ‘constant state of
happiness’ in other words there is nothing that exists called a 'no trouble
zone.' Arrogant to accept this, we have created our own happiness and have
become miserable failures. The fact is there are sufficient resources for
happiness and man is powerful enough to purchase his definition of happiness.
However, the unfortunate reality is that we will never be satisfied. We see
this in the second part of the same verse mentioned in the beginning of the
paragraph which says, “The eye is not satisfied by seeing or the ear
filled with hearing.”. There we go! Our eye can never be satisfied by
anything that we define as the source of contentment.
So where is this "no trouble
zone"? Is it something that exists? My answer is yes and it begins in your
mind. It's not about eliminating desire or lowering our expectations. It sounds
philosophically good but discipline does not help us attain this state of mind.
We are all born with innate desire to attain what we want and to enjoy luxury
that comes in any form. Irrespective of all the trouble and crisis we can still
have peace and contentment in our mind and heart. For that we need a Big God to
fill our hearts with satisfaction. Not religion! Religion comes with varied
obligations and dictates us to get satisfaction from it. The Bible says, “the
fashion of this world is passing away.”. Our sinful passion can only create
craving for more worldly things. Jesus says in the Bible that only an exclusive
relationship with Him can transform our hunger preferences and we will have
absolute joy and contentment, which “No one will take your joy from
you.”.
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