We are built to find pleasure in certain sensory events. We love sweetness such as the taste of a cool peach or a mango. The lonely view of a mountain with snowy crests stretching upward into the sky or the blue green white capped waves at the beach and the roar of the waves as they crash on the beach. Pleasures of the eyes and the ears. We seem attracted to the sound of a river as it flows. For thousand upon thousands of years these pleasures were a part of daily life. Now instead of the sounds of the wind we hear the sounds of auto horns. Instead of the colors of a forest we are bombarded with the blacks and grays of asphalt and cement. We smell petroleum waste more than the intoxicating aroma of evergreen.

On the other hand our bodies are built such that the senses can warn us about danger. A distinctive stench can warm us about spoiled food. Bitterness can tell us that certain foods may harm us. Loud noises may warn us to avoid a falling tree. A flash of pain leads us to recoil and thus avoid a serious burn. In short we need not advocate mindless hedonism in order to advocate that we are built to seek certain pleasures and avoid pain. We need a balance in the direction of pleasures in order to keep healthy. Many of us have fallen out of balance.

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