Key points

Modern life often revolves around seeking pleasure and avoiding discomfort.

Philosophy encourages self-awareness and challenges societal norms, including the pursuit of pleasure.

Marcus Aurelius' Stoic approach valued discomfort as a tool for cultivating virtue and resilience.

Reframing discomfort as opportunity can boost persistence and risk-taking, echoing Stoic ideals.

A lot of people these days are pleasure-seekers. They organize life around obtaining the most satisfying experiences possible of food, drink, travel, and leisure. We even hope to find our work satisfying so that doing our jobs feels like play. Sometimes, this is tied up with implicit competition with online friends: Whoever can post photos depicting the most pleasurable experiences wins the game.

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