“Just as crimes, even if they have not been detected when they were committed, do not allow anxiety to end with them; so with guilty pleasures, regret remains even after the pleasure is over.” – Seneca
Guilty pleasures. The things we know we shouldn’t do but we do it anyway. Sometimes we treat ourselves to the things we consider guilty pleasures as a reward for an accomplishment, sometimes as a reward for going through a difficult ordeal, but mostly we allow ourselves guilty pleasures because we can’t help ourselves. in this way, our guilty pleasures are a weakness.
We shouldn’t be doing things we feel guilty about, even a little bit, as this implies that we actually knew better and did something regardless of that knowledge.
We need to remember that who we are is simply an amalgamation of the things we do consistently. The little things we often take for granted are the things that make us who we are. The little things we do every single day. If we make the decision to indulge that weakness, even just a few times weekly, we are the person who indulges our weaknesses.
It might be that we are satisfied with being the person who indulges their weaknesses but more likely we would rather be the person who is disciplined and exhibits self control.
Self control starts with our guilty pleasures.
virtus fortis vocat
That’s a tough one! I think we are conditioned to reward ourselves occasionally. I know what you (and Seneca) are saying but …..
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