Is the search for physically or chemically-stimulated Brain Pleasure why Modern Cultures are slowly dying?

[ManOnFire]

The new independent individualists are free to create their own values and interpretation of Wants versus Needs for their life’s direction. Naturally, the human brain “wants” to be pleasured. Why are citizens more likely to allow their life’s direction to be guided by their basic instincts to pleasure the brain, or, what feels good? When did so many people’s Free Will become so weak? People whose Free Will is 51% stronger than their desire for brain pleasure are strong enough to avoid addictions. It seems anyone with a middle income could afford to be addicted to sex, porn, drugs, food, gambling, etc. and need treatment for it. The 7 deadly sins would be preventative, but for those who have placed Self at the center of their individual universe instead of God, the self only Knows and seeks brain pleasure for Self, like a child. Of course, anyone who grew up in a loving home REMEMBERS what it was like to have mom and dad Love them, pay for everything, take responsibility for their general welfare, etc. SO it’s only natural for us, as adults, to want to go back to that place again, and REMAIN there. The desire for brain pleasure for Self seems to be one of the central paradoxes of developed societies: the easier and more fun a child has while growing up, the less likely they will want to part with these brain pleasures to sacrifice for the next generation. This seems to be why marriage and birthrates are declining throughout Europe and the U.S. Marriage, commitment to others, raising kids, etc. is too much of a Sacrifice for those whose desire for brain pleasure guides 51% of the direction of their lives while Free Will is a minor 49% (acting like a child). The few number of people who are taking steps to combat this trend is surprising. The slow death of their cultures is occurring right before their eyes. Europe has so much important history. What a shame.

The degree of freedom to pleasure one’s brain, I feel, is one of the central distinctions between individual political viewpoints. Lower moral standards allow more brain pleasure via the Vices, but this takes us farther away from True, Romantic Love and the Church.

If one chronically chooses a life of selfish indulgence of the basic instincts, one will walk around like a person with a teaspoon and a sugar bowl: dipping the teaspoon into the sugar bowl frequently, taking a sweet lick that doesn’t last, constantly searching for the next temporary high via sex, drugs, excess materialism, extreme vanity, gambling, food, pursuit of trying to invent something artificially different for the few seconds of shallow amusement it provides, to no long term satisfaction. Once the temporary high wears off, the search for the next high continues indefinitely.

If one chooses to give one’s life to the Church’s way of sacrificial, true love for spouse and kids, one can experience the True love that makes one’s heart sing and will rock you to the depths of your bones. Deep, romantic, sacrificial, True Love via God’s Covenant for man and woman is The Way, The Truth, and The Life that BOTH man and woman will eventually need to commit to if they desire long term success.

So, is it the media who has changed culture’s perception and values from True, Romantic, Sacrificial Love into selfish basic instinctual desire to pleasure the brain?

 

[AntiTheist]

The degree of freedom to pleasure one’s brain, I feel, is one of the central distinctions between individual political viewpoints. Lower moral standards allow more brain pleasure via the Vices, but this takes us farther away from True, Romantic Love and the Church.

I mean, your entire post more or less screams “false dichotomy.”

I know plenty of non-Christians (mostly atheists, come to think of it) who are in committed, loving relationships, who have great family lives, and who do not live a life of “selfish indulgence of the basic instincts.”

Your argument presumes that a person either is completely selfish or subscribes to the views of the Catholic Church. There are more than two options.

 

[Spirithound]

So, is it the media who has changed culture’s perception and values from True, Romantic, Sacrificial Love into selfish basic instinctual desire to pleasure the brain?

The mainstream media is only middle-management.

 

[ManOnFire]

I mean, your entire post more or less screams “false dichotomy.”

I know plenty of non-Christians (mostly atheists, come to think of it) who are in committed, loving relationships, who have great family lives, and who do not live a life of “selfish indulgence of the basic instincts.”

Your argument presumes that a person either is completely selfish or subscribes to the views of the Catholic Church. There are more than two options.

I never meant it to be a dichotomy. There are adults in the world who rebelled against their parents’ attempts to teach them the faith. Of course, the natural urge for any child is to place him/herself first and not want to sacrifice to learn the Way. In these cases, their compass for their life’s direction might be, by default, to do what feels good. After childhood, we were supposed to learn how to “give up” our lives for our spouses and kids, just as Jesus offered up his life to suffer on the cross to show us how to live and sacrifice for each other. When the compass of one’s life involves placing others ahead of our Self, we are romantically impressed when others give their time and attention to us ahead of themselves, and then True Love grows. Some people have not come back to this realization. Then, consider that the Church has rules of acceptable behavior for which we should all strive. Then, a man can have a reasonable degree of certainty about which behaviors are expected when he meets a woman, and vice versa. The target is the same. The goal is the same. The independent individualists and pop culture temptations have been major distractions for too many toward this end goal. That’s all I’m saying.