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Hedonophobia

  • Pacatus
  • October 4, 2024 at 3:19 PM
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  • Pacatus
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    • October 4, 2024 at 3:19 PM
    • #1

    “Hedonophobia is an excessive fear or aversion to obtaining pleasure. … Hedonophobics have a type of guilt about feeling pleasure or experiencing pleasurable sensations, due to a cultural background or training (either religious or cultural) that eschews pleasurable pursuits as frivolous or inappropriate. Oftentimes, social guilt is connected to having fun while others are suffering, and is common for those who feel undeserving or have self-worth issues to work through. Also, there is a sense that they should not be given pleasures due to their lack of performance in life, and because they have done things that are deemed ‘wrong’ or ‘undeserving.’"

    ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonophobia#:~:text=Hedonophobia%20is%20formally%20defined%20as,is%20often%20a%20persistent%20malady.

    Today is the first that I heard of such a thing (in some random reading).

    But I have known at least one person (who came immediately to mind) who had a fairly strong and insistent version of this. She was a social activist (whom I knew from my own, lesser, participation in some of the same issues), who is a lay-member of a Roman Catholic Benedictine group.

    Anyone else have any experience with this?

    "We must try to make the end of the journey better than the beginning, as long as we are journeying; but when we come to the end, we must be happy and content." (Vatican Saying 48)

  • Matteng
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    • October 4, 2024 at 5:32 PM
    • #2

    Seems so that in religions and some more idealistic philosophys there is sometimes some hedonophobia.

    For example for some Stoics pursueing Pleasure was seen as a vice, i read it often but have now not a good example. Here is some from Seneca, what makes me wonder because in other letters he appreciates Epicurean teachings :

    From the Stoicism community on Reddit
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  • Patrikios
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    • October 8, 2024 at 12:08 PM
    • #3

    Thanks for an interesting topic, Pacatus.

    "due to a cultural background or training (either religious or cultural) that eschews pleasurable pursuits as frivolous or inappropriate."


    Here is an example of the religious culture defining appropriate pursuit of happiness. In some of my family's Christian evangelical circles, any pursuit of personal pleasure is only appropriate if you follow the JOY priority of how you spend your time to bring happiness to your life:

    Jesus first

    Others second

    Yourself last.

    That was a formula that resulted in more anxiety and dis-ease. Some in those groups would use that meme as a tool for judging any "inappropriate" pursuits; often couched in condescendingly sayings such as "we'll pray for you", while thinking [and your poor lost atheist soul]. This may be an example where their interpretations of 'scripture' led them to their own 'hedonophobia', which they attempted to spread to others in their circle.

    Through our studies of Epicurus, I have come to understand the importance to instead follow the airplane rule: "put on your oxygen mask first, before you help someone else." Through our prudent evaluation of pleasures and the work/effort required to obtain them, we can be thoughtful and supportive of the needs of family and friends, while maintaining an Epicurean practice that enables us to operate from a core sense of happiness, as our basic necessities are met.

    Patrikios

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