21 levels of Self-Deception: THIRD EDITION by Tom Wallace - HTML preview

T W E N T Y - O N E L E V E L S

sublime, a revelation of the glory of God. (‘Aesthesis’ in Greek meant pleasure pertaining to sensory experience — sometimes termed ‘kinematic’ — whilst ‘theoria’ for Aristotle, is the highest form of praxis.)

Joy is not however an all-or-nothing achievement, which is reached after having gained a certain level of acceptance and peace with the world. There are moments for which the terms pleasure and happiness are not appropriate words. Spontaneous moments of

joy might be called a gift. Moments of ‘flow’ where we are so absorbed in what we are doing that we forget ourselves and our everyday worries. There are moments of serenity — mountain-top experiences.

I remember hearing a comedian contrasting the Brazilian carnival with the British equivalent — Shrove Tuesday and pancakes! The comedian commented by saying that perhaps we get the carnival we deserve! Western culture certainly has an odd way of relating to celebration. A bit like voting, it seems like it is relegated to a few special occasions. There’s an orgy of materialism at Christmas, a couple of weeks of sunshine over summer, plus a few other breaks here and there. Holidays, feasts and parties are fitted around work and other responsibilities. The holidays and celebrations themselves are an ambiguous affair for some. Without the distractions of work, people find themselves confronted with relating to family who perhaps they only spend brief moments relating to the rest of the year. Even more difficult for some — we are confronted by ourselves, by the reality of who we are or might be.

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