
Confucius advised his disciples to indulge in some pleasures constantly throughout the life and to always stay away from some…
Confucius used to lecture his disciples daily. Post his speech, students used to ask him some questions and he answered them.
Once a student asked “You say that we should get some kind of pleasure constantly and should be away from some type of joy. Because some are good and some kinds of pleasures are bad. So, could you please make us understand what kinds of pleasure are good and which are bad?”
“If you enjoy learning, playing or listening to music, if you enjoy helping others, if you enjoy spending time with good, noble and gentle people, if you enjoy gaining knowledge and reading books, then these are the ultimate pleasures in the world and you should constantly get joy out of it,” Confucius replied.
“But, when you roam around aimlessly, eating and drinking recklessly, indulge in excesses of any type of addiction, and enjoy bad company then these pleasures are bad. One should always keep away from this kind of fun. It feels very good in the beginning, but then a man has to pay a very heavy price of it,” Confucius further said.
Often, we forget the distinction between right and wrong and indulge in those pleasures which seem good on the surface but are deadly beneath. If we go by Confucius’ advice, we can save ourselves from many kinds of problems in life.