Pleasure is Forgetfulness

Photo Credit: Quotefancy

 

Pleasure is Forgetfulness

Human consciousness can follow two ways. One way is that of water, flowing downwards; the other way is that of fire, moving upwards. These are symbols, water and fire, but very meaningful. When we flow downwards, we become more and more unconscious. When we flow upwards, we become more and more conscious. Upward is consciousness; downward is unconsciousness.

All pleasure is downward. Wherever we seek pleasure, we go downwards, because pleasure means being unconscious. Pleasure means being in a certain state where we don’t know any anxiety — not that the anxieties have disappeared, but we are unconscious. The world remains the same; the anxieties are there waiting for us, increasing, not decreasing, because as time moves, they will increase. Our problems remain the same, even become more complicated. While we are unconscious, everything is growing: it doesn’t wait for our consciousness to be there.

Pleasure is escape. That’s why pleasure is not worth it. In fact, it is not pleasure, it is a sort of suicide. We escape from the problems, we put our back to the problems, but this is no way to solve them. We will have to come back, because once we have become conscious, unconsciousness cannot be a permanent state of affairs. We can have a dive into unconsciousness, but how long can we remain underwater? For a second - and then we are back again to the surface. We cannot remain unconscious for long.

So, this is not helping in any way, pleasure doesn’t help. We have to come back again and again — and then it becomes a vicious circle. When we come back and we find the anguish waiting, the anxiety, all the problems — rather, they have increased — we become afraid, we become nervous. Our whole being trembles and becomes fear; then we have to escape again and again. The more we escape, the more problems increase. The more problems we face, the more alcohol is needed. And then the quantity of the intoxicant has to be increased continuously because we become attuned to it. We take a certain quantity of a drug: the first day we feel unconscious. After a few days we are not unconscious; we are still conscious, worries are still there knocking at the door, we can hear — we need a greater quantity.

A moment comes when no drug helps. When no drug affects us, we are already integrated, and now we can move towards the height without any fear of falling — because we cannot be made unconscious, we have crystallized our consciousness. But ordinarily one is not working through drugs for consciousness, and the path is very dangerous. 

Ordinarily one is seeking unconsciousness, a little forgetfulness in this world of worries, anguish, anxiety, this world which looks like a hell. One wants to forget. All our pleasures are just forgetfulness.