Pleasure is the supreme end of human being

One of the founders of Communist Party of China, Mr. Li Dazhao, also advocated clearly: “Only the life philosophy of seeking joy is the natural and true life philosophy.” Mr. Yu Guangyuan, the eminent scholar of our time, believes in the “joy” philosophy，and has named himself as “a great player”，saying: “Isn’t socialism just for making people happy?”

It can be seen that, whether in the west or in the east, whether in ancient times or in modern times, pleasure has always been the supreme end of mankind.

Life is priceless, and the interest of life is the supreme matter. However，when life and pleasure conflicts with each other, people’s pursuit of pleasure often overwhelms their thirst for life. Makarenko said: “If a person had no pleasure before him, he would not exist in this world.” Mankind’s suicidal behavior is just a good example. Suicide is not for seeking suffering，but for ending the suffering. When a normal and reasonable man fails to see the joy before him and believes there is no way to avoid the suffering in reality, he is bound to choose suicide. “Euthanasia”, as a great invention of mankind, is also a proof that the purpose of human existence is pleasure. When people have suffered a serious ailment or suffered to the utmost limit, and are sure the joy of tomorrow will never exist, they will crave for death and will be eager for a fast death…

We cry up joy extremely, but the joy mentioned here is never the joy of the squanderer as is imagined by some people, or the temporary corporeal joy. The rational hedonism is totally different from the common hedonism! The rational hedonism is the natural enemy of the common hedonism!

Hedonists are those so-called “fresh new mankind” who are proud in saying “they prostrate themselves before all kinds of desires”. For example, the “belle writer” Wei Hui’s self-complacent declaration: “I believe in the impulses from my heart any time, submit to the burning in the depth of my soul, resist no offhand madness, and worship all kinds of desire”.
Hedonism only seeks the corporal joy. The so-called “impulses from my heart” and “offhand madness” are nothing more than indulgence in the instinct，and chasing the corporal pleasure. A philosopher said, “If happiness lies in the corporeal pleasure, then, we should say, when the ox has found fodder to eat, he is happy.” If we only submit to the pure corporal joy，we will only reduce  the human into an animal like the ox, the pig or the dog.

Hedonism only cares about the joy under the very nose. For one moment’s sensation of pleasure, one time of apolaustic drug taking might make someone fall into the abyss that could ruin all his life；The price of one-night “romance” might be a terrible burden of AIDS, and a boundless sea of woe；Gambling night after night might make someone become mad and take his life in his hands…  The price of being addicted to such “small joys” at hand is often the loss of the lasting “great joys” of life. It seems to be seeking pleasure, but actually is losing pleasure totally.

Ordinary hedonism also only cares about the joy of one person, even to the extent of basing his own joy on the suffering of other people. “Believe in the impulses from the heart any time”: when wanting to steal，just steal; when wanting to rob, just rob… So long as they are glad themselves, who cares about the monstrous flood in the world? So，the boss of a game playing hall should wave his knife to two young lives and kill them “justly”, just for 1.2 Yuan, because so doing could “vent his dander”, making him feel happy at the moment. Let’s take another example in the environmental problem. Many people go to the mountain to cut trees for money, or dump garbage into the Yangtze Rive. They feel happy themselves, but others will suffer, and the whole next generation will suffer.