Are you a hedonist?

Hedonism is a philosophical thesis put forward by Epicurus. This philosopher questioned human nature: as much as possible, man seeks pleasure and avoids pain. Here, we are talking about ethical pleasure and we are not questioning, as has been discussed over time, the ethics of this current.

Epicurus referred to the desire of man. This derives from human nature to avoid what causes him discomfort or pain. I don’t think anyone likes to be beaten or to suffer from hunger or even from love. But, seek happiness, the pleasure that comes from comfort, from love, from wealth.

Hedonism and money

Of course, we are all hedonists. Human rights aim at this principle. Laws respect this principle. Pain has many forms. It can take the form of the pain of not fulfilling yourself financially, personally or professionally. The pain of not achieving your intended goal, of not having fun on a weekend because you are at work or because a family member is seriously ill.

We all like to feel pleasure and we remove pain. It is undeniable. It is part of our nature, of the instinct of preservation. Without wanting to, we protect ourselves and avoid everything that can harm us. That’s why, when we have a cold, we quickly go to the pharmacy and take some medicine that makes us feel better.

When your child comes home, days in a row, and asks you to buy him a piano because his dream is to become a famous pianist, knowing that you don’t have the necessary money, does it cause you pain? You’ve already made a financial effort to enroll him in piano lessons. Now, he wants even more. You know that he has talent and his piano teacher has confirmed this to you. You know that he can become a famous pianist if you can support him in this whole endeavor, but you don’t have the necessary money. The fact that you don’t have the necessary money causes you pain and you want to avoid it.

The pain caused by a financial aspect cannot be avoided anytime soon. You need solutions that are not so quick and require involvement, an effort that also brings pain. Complicated.

But you, the parent of a talented piano player, are sitting in front of the TV, gripped by the pain of not being able to help your child. Suddenly, an advertisement appears that gives you pleasure: loan money and thus your pain can be removed now. The lack of finances to purchase a piano is no longer an obstacle to your child’s dream. And it even moves to you to make everything as fast as possible. You look at your child drawing piano keys on a sheet of paper to pretend that he is playing a real piano. It hurts you. You want to remove the pain and turn to a loan.

Personal loans give you pleasure and remove your pain. For the moment, however. For the moment, the pleasure sets in. You take the money quickly and, just as quickly, leave the borrowed money in the music store in exchange for a piano. The child is happy and you, as a parent, are happy with their happiness. What’s more, you are showered with kisses and thanks. That’s it, the pain is gone! That’s what you think. But no. The pain is prolonged. You will repay the borrowed money in one to five years (depending on how expensive the piano was) and you will repay double. Thus, instead of having saved up and bought, in addition to the piano, an object for yourself, you pay for one thing, much more expensive than it is.

Credits and pleasure

We want to eliminate the pain caused by the lack of money. However, to eliminate it, financial education and planning are needed. Financial pain cannot be avoided so easily and with a quick impact.

Hedonism continues to manifest itself. Pain manifests itself throughout the loan period. The installments due give pain, financial anxiety, and, further, pleasure is sought, the relief of pain. Relief is also offered by the bank, under the name of refinancing. And the pain is, again, removed, but for a period. Again, pleasure is sought and the removal of pain. Thus, until retirement, when, in such a search for pleasure and the removal of pain for short periods of time, one ends up feeling pain: this time for a long period of time. But very few can still seek and find pleasure, after the age of 65, when a loan is harder to contract, and life is spent in search of pleasure that can no longer be contracted.

Hedonism, as well, can manifest itself through the lack of pain: borrowing some money with interest and the search for pleasure: finding joy in small things, of lesser value, but which delight the soul.

In such a case, like that of the child passionate about the piano, pleasure can be found in moments of practice, time spent with the family, in which he is motivated and encouraged to continue, and, in parallel, there must be a savings plan for that purpose: the purchase of the piano.

Avoiding pain and seeking pleasure consists of financial planning. When you have a child, you know that sooner or later you will face expenses. You don’t know what they will need, what they will want, and you can prepare with savings for them so that you can cover at least some of them. When they are born, you don’t know what the expenses will be, but you know that they will exist. Do something so that you can eliminate the pain from your financial life. Invest the money. They bring a profit that will give you pleasure and financial relaxation in the face of expenses. Prepare yourself with a minimum of financial planning and you will not have problems. If you have too many expenses when the child is born, set aside an allowance for them. It is not a large amount, but it will help you cover some of the future expenses.

Just think about this situation. Would you like to have such an event in your life? What can bring you greater pleasure than seeing your child happy and knowing that you’re not paying double for what you’re giving them? Do you choose the pleasure of having the necessary money or the pain of paying the cost of the piano in three or five aies with interest on interest?

Success in money awareness!