Not a Care In The Word Ends Badly

“Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:” (Isa 47:8 AV)

Living for pleasure and not caring of the consequences goes hand in hand.  Living with the foresight of consequences motivates to discipline.  Knowing that each choice has with it a set of variables that will happen, might happen, or will not happen shapes those choices.  Careless living regards none of that.  It is only interested in immediate pleasure.  That pretty much describes the generation in which we live.

America, and by extension most of the western world, struggles with their weight.  Too many calories and not enough exercise is largely (no pun intended) at fault.  The second is a lack of planning and discipline.  The former a simply pursuit of pleasure.  Health costs something.  It causes discomfort.  We are trading one pain for another.  We are trading the temporary pain of hunger for the larger and more distant pain of congestive heart failure.  We are trading the temporary pain of disciplining the endorphins from a chocolate fix for the future pain of diabetes.  We seek pleasure as an escape from discomfort.  We seek pleasure as the means to fill the need of emotional fulfillment.  What we do not consider is that every action demands an equal and opposite reaction.  This lack of care is an indication of a lack of maturity.  A child cannot discipline himself, seeking only his own comfort and happiness.  An adult has learned that temporary comfort and happiness means we are giving up a greater happiness somewhere in the future.

Note also in the verse above that those who live carelessly live for ‘self’ first.  “…I am, and none else beside me…” We only see our choices as they affect us.  When I look at that extra piece of pie, I do not consider that I have people who are about me and who would miss me if my health failed way too soon.  When I look at the menu and choose something that is not all that healthy for me because I savor that enjoyment, it doesn’t occur to me that if I come down with serious illness, I will be a financial and physical burden to those who did not make that choice.  Living for pleasure means we do not care about the consequences of our choices, not only to us, but to all those around us.