From the author: Reflections of the author A person lives for pleasure. Such a statement may seem strange to some. This is due to the fact that the first association is associated with physical pleasures, ways to enjoy life by satisfying one's basic needs. Physical pleasures, as a stimulus for the body’s vital activity, are always the strongest. But man is unique in that pleasure for him goes far beyond just bodily pleasures. On this basis, back in ancient centuries, hedonism arose (an ethical doctrine according to which pleasure is the main virtue, the highest good and purpose of life). If you think about what all human activity is aimed at, you can find these sources of pleasure in every area. Let's consider specific examples: WORK: A source of receiving money for using it in various sources of pleasure. A source of pleasure for one’s own EGO as a path to personal realization. LOVE: A source of emotional pleasure The ability to enjoy the object of love physically. FAMILY: A source of emotional pleasure. The possibility of obtaining physical pleasures. Above are the 3 most significant areas for a person. The list goes on, but I don't think there's much need for it. Every effort, one way or another, is aimed at obtaining pleasure. We often get what we strive for in life, but do we know how to enjoy victory? Someone who knows how to do this, who appreciates what he has, can be called a happy person. He can also be considered an Epicurean (not to be confused with the Epicureans). Such people are always optimistic. They strive to find a positive beginning in everything. For an optimist, there is no doubt that only good things await him ahead. He simply ignores the bad and steps over it. Optimists initially set themselves up for success, so they usually achieve it. What is a defeat for a pessimist, is a supporting point for an upcoming victory for an optimist. On the other side of the scale lies suffering. We carefully try to avoid them. The nineteenth-century English philosopher Jeremy Bentham wrote: “Nature has placed man under the power of two sovereign rulers: pain and joy. They determine what we should do today, and they determine what we will do tomorrow. Just as the standard of truth and falsehood, so the chains of cause and effect rest at their throne.” Those who prefer the negative to the positive are pessimists. They are never happy. A pessimist always lives in an underlying fear of failure. Therefore, one is rarely lucky. Even if such a person is rich, he cannot enjoy life and fully enjoy its gifts. It will always seem to him that he has insignificantly little, that he needs much more to be happy. Yes, a person always strives for the best. This desire of his is the basis for progress. The only question is: AT WHAT COST? There are many examples of how someone hunches his whole life, puts aside savings, collects capital as a result and... dies without ever enjoying the fruits of his efforts. Why did he live, denying himself everything and depriving himself of many pleasures? Maybe he was afraid of the mythical “rainy day”? Maybe, like a stingy knight, he was simply saving his treasures for himself? People are NOT born optimists or pessimists. They become them. And some acquire the ability to enjoy life, but others do not. Since optimism is not a genetic program, it CAN BE EDUCATED IN YOURSELF. Vladimir SabelfeldSource: Height