Without rain there is no sunshine.
Why pursue pleasure?
Because pleasure is good! Pain is bad. Maybe we need to think more critically about physicality, physiology, and our human bodies.
Why do the depictions of saints from Caravaggio’s paintings look so ill, sickly, and diseased?
My thought is that they spent way too much time indoors, hunched over, reading books. The modern equivalent of this is sitting down inside at a computer or TV. We should not deny our body of what it needs to become powerful.
What kind of things give you pleasure? What kind of things cause you pain?
Sitting down causes me pain.
Therefore, as a consequence I stand and walk all day long. I know what my physical body needs to thrive. I need to be outside, in the open spaces, without being told what to do, where to go, and how to live my life.
I simply listen to my physical body.
When I lift weights, I undergo a little bit of pain for a little bit of gain. The suffering becomes something meaningful, and the pain becomes pleasure and true happiness as I increase my power. I choose to seek pleasure through enjoying the pain.
Perhaps notions of GOOD pain are worth considering. Ultimately, seeking pleasure is a base level goal, rather seek to increase your POWER.
Pain is pleasure.