Simple Pleasures of Human Life

A Monday evening is like the end of the most chaotic day of the week, so much emotion, the end of the first day of the week, whether productive or used as a reset to start setting new goals, dinner is classically the end of the productive day. As i was deep in thought, my date sent me a picture, it depicted bare cream dreary walls, a floral grandma table cloth, a big voidlike white plate, with a half eaten sandwich in which you can only see the bread, and an endearing cat mug which i can only assume contains Jasmine or Earl Gray Tea.

As i looked at the picture i fell deep in thought about the simple pleasures of human life — a quiet evening, tasty dinner, taking the night easy with a cold shower at the end of a warm spring day, thinking back on all the work you’ve done and all you have yet to do in the coming 6 days.

Simply, dinner or tasty food are one of the rawest pleasures of human kind, eating a tasty meal can change your day so significantly, it almost alters my brain chemistry at the thought of how many times a simple meal has transformed my day from a mere irritable existence into a fulfilling day. Seeing a picture so plain yet so raw just put me in awe of the human experience of life, every moment is lived by those around you, everyone is doing something at some point, their life is filled with decisions however small.

"The simplest pleasures are sometimes the most extraordinary." - Edgar Allan Poe

I often circle back to Epicureanism and the philosophy of finding joy in life’s simple pleasures. The emphasis on the pursuit of happiness and avoidance of pain speaks to me on such a personal level. Putting an emphasis on attaining a state of ataraxia, through knowledge, moderation and simple pleasures. It reminds me that the purpose of human life doesnt need to be anything but your own personal happiness, theres no need to overcomplicate life, rather indulge in small things that help you live a valued self-sufficient life.

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." — Epicurus

Sometimes you need to just sit there and remember that nothing in life is truly “that deep”.

Somethings that have piqued my interest for the past few years have been not only the pursuit of happiness but also the rejection of the fear of death; The loss of memory.

I write to remember, to keep entries of my life alive and although i dont have a fear of death, it is always just a looming thought in the back of my mind. Reminding myself to live in the moment and enjoy the small things such as a tasty croissant, or warm soup, helps me to ground myself and sit with the idea of death. Death is simply just the end of both the body and the soul (if you believe that such exists), and it shouldnt be feared, rather welcomed as a point of life celebration.

Pursuing simple pleasures like meaningful friendships and a comfortable life are so fulfilling, often serving the human existence more than extravagant indulgences.

But this is all just my opinion, garnered from one small image my date just so happened to send me, a simple meal, yet so many words were spoken, so many thoughts arose in my mind. This encourages me to remember to have that meal, get that sweet treat and indulge just a little in the small things of life.