What's your Idol?

[Prince_Azmiran_Myrian]

We all hold some aspect of life dear to us. Of course we all like all of these things, but there is one thing we pursue to get over all the others.
When you do something wrong, it is often because you are pursuing this idol and it took precedence over your morals or ethics.

To find out yours, it's easier by using process of elimination. Imagine you could have one in abundance but all the others were an average amount.

I will expand on the categories so that you have a better understanding what falls where.

Pleasure
Comfort, entertainment, feeling good. You do what makes you feel happy. Avoiding pain, avoiding difficulty.

Power
You see heiracrhies as very important, and you expect people to follow your authority as you follow authorites over you. Control over peoples behaviors, laws or rules, and punishment. And choosing courses of action. Legitimacy of power is important.

Honor
To be honored, respected. Have Prestige. Given admiration and praise from others. Fame.

Money
Material possessions, credit, wealth. The world runs on money, and having a lot helps get things done. You can do a lot of things one otherwise couldn't, and in lavish style.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Can't you get pleasure through money?

 

[Prince_Azmiran_Myrian]

Can't you get pleasure through money?

You can pursue pleasure without money, and you can pursue money without caring for pleasure as much.
It's not as if each of these is completely separate from the others, so i understand if it might be hard to narrow it down to one.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

You can pursue pleasure without money, and you can pursue money without caring for pleasure as much.
It's not as if each of these is completely separate from the others, so i understand if it might be hard to narrow it down to one.

It's extremely hard for me to separate money and power from each other and pleasure. Those two can be achieved via each other, while pleasure can be achieved through the two. The only one that stands out is honor since you can't buy it nor can you force people in a certain way about you. You technically can, but that takes way too much effort and time.

 

[Iamnotabot]

Dunno, i been living with out all four but not at the same time.

At home, i have pleasure but not the other three.
At work i have only honor .
Moneys come to mind only when i need to buy things.
Suprisingly, i live my life never with power in my hand. Always some body else.

Thinking about only one thing is kind of wrong, because you can't have that one thing without connection to the rest. (Example: you get honnor when you have power and money...etc. etc.)

 

[Cipiteca396]

It's extremely hard for me to separate money and power from each other and pleasure.

Thinking about only one thing is kind of wrong, because you can't have that one thing without connection to the rest. (Example: you get honnor when you have power and money...etc. etc.)

Hm...
How about this. Ideally:

You can take an Important job, but it doesn't pay well and it has long hours so you can't spend time with family. A job like this is Power.

You can take a similar job, but it barely matters and still has long hours. On the plus side, everyone you meet will recognize you and treat you well. This is Honor.

You can take a high paying, meaningless job with long hours, like an accountant. You rake in the cash, but your wife probably cheats on you. This is Money.

You can be unemployed and mooch off your family, looking after their kids, playing games, going to parties, doing drugs and maybe volunteering at charities or shelters. Everyone will talk about you like you're a clown, but you'll have fun. This is Pleasure.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Hm...
How about this. Ideally:

You can take an Important job, but it doesn't pay well and it has long hours so you can't spend time with family. A job like this is Power.

You can take a similar job, but it barely matters and still has long hours. On the plus side, everyone you meet will recognize you and treat you well. This is Honor.

You can take a high paying, meaningless job with long hours, like an accountant. You rake in the cash, but your wife probably cheats on you. This is Money.

You can be unemployed and mooch off your family, looking after their kids, playing games, going to parties, doing drugs and maybe volunteering at charities or shelters. Everyone will talk about you like you're a clown, but you'll have fun. This is Pleasure.

Yeah... If we continue we will derail the thread and start talking about definitions of words. I don't want to discuss definitions of words.

 

[Kepler22b]

Power it is.

Some options in the poll should provably be separate, while others could be joined... I mean, money is a shallow slice of the concept of power. Likewise, power can take many aspects, such as knowledge, freedom, control over self, etc.

Honour seems shallow to me. What does it matter how I look to others? What matters most is that I am free to play the game on my terms. Honour can be a way of life... yet, objectively, it is little more than a game strategy of playing by the rules and therefore appealing more to others. Playing with honour is the most intelligent thing to do when others don't break the rules, for breaking the rules first and being seen while doing it can oust you out of the public circle of trust.

As for pleasure? Is it the most important, or is it just our structure pushing us to seek it? Pleasure is an abstract idea rooted in our physical form... What kind of pleasure? That which exists to shape our behaviour for survival? Or something deeper? Is it something our souls should seek intrinsically? Or is it just part of the experience of being? Aren't you curious to understand what are we? What is consciousness? What is pleasure? To have the power to see through the veil... and beyond...

Isn't it abhorrent to call one's reason for existence, stimulating their brain with the right pattens to attain pleasure?

Power, is just a means to freedom. Once the pen's in hand, you can write whatever you want.

To build, to explore, to give...

The common trope of power for power, regardless of how much all else burns... not my intent. If you lock yourself into a pursuit of power above all else, isn't that akin to giving away one's freedom? Such is the complexity of your question, that we could write entire books about it, and still not have it figured out. I am sure none of us have it figured out, and saying otherwise is human arrogance coming to light.

 

[Rezcore]

I have, I've been told, an antiquated sense of honor. Almost chivalrous

 

[Kepler22b]

I have, I've been told, an antiquated sense of honor. Almost chivalrous

Even in the face of opportunity or treachery that uses your values against you? Honour is like locking oneself only to actions others would view as honourable, even if it goes against your interests... Honour, is rather, a choice... one you've been fortunate to have. Glory, fame... seem to me more symbols. Symbols out of touch with reality. If you are honourable, not for fame or glory... that is admirable. If it is for your own sake, of your own choice, I sincerely wish you don't have to regret it. Bound by choice to honour is a form of freedom in itself.

 

[stxtched]

whichever one coincides with me having feminine men at my disposal

 

[Rezcore]

Even in the face of opportunity or treachery that uses your values against you? Honour is like locking oneself only to actions others would view as honourable, even if it goes against your interests... Honour, is rather, a choice... one you've been fortunate to have. Glory, fame... seem to me more symbols. Symbols out of touch with reality. If you are honourable, not for fame or glory... that is admirable. If it is for your own sake, of your own choice, I sincerely wish you don't have to regret it. Bound by choice to honour is a form of freedom in itself.

Yeah. My honor is mostly based on my Faith. I try to live by the principles taught.

 

[Kepler22b]

whichever one coincides with me having feminine men at my disposal

Seems like you have your priorities straight. Or not?

 

[Navillus]

I am fueled by curiosity and boredom for me might as well be a death sentence as I am curious about death and what comes afterwords so if I get to bored I’ll likely kill myself to sate my curiosity… so pleasure to me is more important than anything else since once I am bored and uninterested there will be nothing stopping me… pleasure distracts me from my deepest desires-nyah.

 

[VertisGuguChalimoth]

I am fueled by curiosity and boredom for me might as well be a death sentence as I am curious about death and what comes afterwords so if I get to bored I’ll likely kill myself to sate my curiosity… so pleasure to me is more important than anything else since once I am bored and uninterested there will be nothing stopping me… pleasure distracts me from my deepest desires-nyah.

What exactly do you find ... pleasurable, Sloth?

 

[Bartun]

For me, it would be honor. All the stupid things I've done in life were because I just wanted recognition.

I don't have much money, it comes and goes, and power and pleasure just doesn't feel right. Call me sentimental.

 

[gaylolis]

im already feeling comfy atm, so i'll just take the money and get everything i want.

 

[ShrimpShady]

Ngl, money would solve 99.9% of all my problems

The remaining .1% would be suppressed by the fact that I'd be drowning in money.

 

[Prince_Azmiran_Myrian]

It's extremely hard for me to separate money and power from each other and pleasure. Those two can be achieved via each other, while pleasure can be achieved through the two. The only one that stands out is honor since you can't buy it nor can you force people in a certain way about you. You technically can, but that takes way too much effort and time.

Think of it like hedonism vs greed. Maybe that helps your understanding?

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Think of it like hedonism vs greed. Maybe that helps your understanding?

Nope.