Letter XXXII - Perpetual Happiness & Pleasure
My Dear Rott-mouth, As we continue our mission to lead your patients away from the Enemy’s path, we must turn our attention to the modern quest for perpetual happiness and pleasure. This relentless pursuit is a powerful tool, capable of fostering deep dissatisfaction and an inability to accept life’s inherent hardships. This theme ties back to our discussions on the corrupting influence of entertainment, pornography, and consumerism, yet it extends into every facet of your patient’s lives.
The Enemy has designed human life with a mix of joy and sorrow, triumph and struggle, to cultivate resilience, growth, and faith. Our objective is to distort this design by convincing your patients that constant happiness is not only attainable but also the ultimate goal of life. This illusion keeps them in a state of perpetual discontent and spiritual shallowness.
Begin by promoting the belief that happiness is a right, and that any form of discomfort or unhappiness is a sign of failure or something to be immediately remedied. This mindset encourages your patients to avoid facing and accepting life's inevitable challenges, leading to a lack of resilience and a deepening sense of dissatisfaction.
Encourage the pursuit of pleasure and happiness through external means. This approach aligns with our previous discussions on the seductive allure of pornography and entertainment. The more your patients seek happiness in these transient pleasures, the more they will find themselves on a hedonic treadmill—always chasing the next high but never finding lasting fulfillment. This cycle fosters a sense of emptiness and inadequacy.
Highlight the importance of self-care and personal fulfillment above all else. While self-care in moderation is not inherently harmful, the extreme emphasis on personal happiness can lead to selfishness and neglect of responsibilities and relationships. Convince your patients that their primary duty is to themselves, which will isolate them from others and weaken their communal and familial bonds.
Utilize social media to perpetuate the myth of perpetual happiness. Encourage your patients to compare their lives to the curated, idealized versions they see online. This constant comparison fosters envy, anxiety, and a sense of inadequacy. The more they believe that everyone else is living a perfectly happy life, the more they will feel that their own life is lacking.
Promote the idea that any form of suffering or hardship is to be avoided at all costs. This aversion to discomfort will prevent your patients from developing the resilience and depth that come from enduring and overcoming challenges. They will be more likely to make decisions based on immediate gratification rather than long-term well-being, leading to a shallow and unstable life.
Encourage a culture of instant gratification. Modern technology and conveniences have made it possible to satisfy almost any desire immediately. Promote this mindset, making your patients impatient and intolerant of any delay or denial of their wants. This impatience will erode their ability to practice self-discipline and perseverance, further weakening their character.
Reinforce the belief that material possessions and external achievements are the keys to happiness. This ties back to our discussion on consumerism and materialism. The constant pursuit of wealth and status will leave your patients perpetually unsatisfied, as there will always be someone with more. This endless chase keeps them distracted from deeper, more meaningful pursuits.
Encourage a focus on the self as the center of the universe. Convince your patients that their personal happiness is the highest good, overshadowing the needs and well-being of others. This self-centeredness will prevent them from forming genuine, selfless relationships and from understanding the Enemy’s teachings on love and sacrifice.
Lastly, downplay the value of spiritual growth and the acceptance of life’s hardships. Convince your patients that spiritual practices and beliefs are secondary to the pursuit of happiness. By doing so, you ensure that they remain spiritually immature and unable to find true peace and fulfillment in the Enemy’s teachings.
In our next correspondence, we will dig into a delightful phrase from our friends. A Phrase which we must use to its fullest potential: “Smash the patriarchy.” I will tell you more of this in my next letter; until then, do not relent; keep your patients focusing on themselves and the things that bring them the pleasures of our father, pleasures that will leave them empty.
Your affectionate uncle,
Wormwood
