Yummishness is often confused with Hedonism. Hedonism, with its focus on pleasure, is very similar to Yummishness. However, the ultimate focus of Hedonism is the pleasure of the individual. The Yummish Faith teaches that an act or an object is not truly Yummy (of The YUM) if, for one party to maximize their pleasure, another party must suffer. For example, you might find listening to loud music to be enjoyable. Done in the privacy of your home, walking alone on the beach, or while driving your car to work, it can be a fun and Yummy activity. However, if you choose to set up your stereo in the middle of the public library or in a crowded train car, the Yummishness you experience is offset by the irritation or inconvenience experienced by the others, and the act is no longer Yummy.
This relativism means there are many gray areas in the Yummish Faith. We like to think of them as soft balls of fuzzy, gray confusion and embrace them. Why? Embracing feels good. It is also a chance to reach for the ultimate Yum; because even more than experiencing Yummishness yourself, the goal of the ultimate YUM is Yummy Feelings for all.
Yummishness is about pursuing the true YUM, not just any ol' good feeling you can manage to find. For example, it may seem Yummy to drink an entire bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon oneself, but the resulting illness is a sign that the act, while momentarily enjoyable, was not of the true YUM. Feeding your family Twinkies for every meal may appeal to their taste buds, but the consequential decline in overall health tells the true tale. That does not mean that the path to the true YUM isn't strewn with empty wine bottles and cupcake wrappers. They are just intermingled with banana peels, apple cores and lettuce bits. Speaking of, someone really should sweep up in here.
Today's Yummish Exercise:
Do something that brings you pleasure as it brings pleasure to another.
Next: Everything in Moderation... Including Moderation
No comments:
Post a Comment