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Key Thought for this session:

“The outcome of my life fits my priorities.”

When the body’s desire succeeds in taking priority and dominating the self’s worldview of satisfaction, we say the person is “hedonistic”. That is, a hedonistic worldview means a person’s highest virtue is their own personal physical pleasure, with less regard for other people.

While pleasure may come in different forms, often hedonism is a worldview that sees the reality of an abundant and virtuous life as being that which maximizes one’s physical pleasure.

Experts in the fields of anthropology, philosophy, psychology, and theology have studied the areas in which man seeks a broader sense of satisfaction than simply meeting physical needs. In other words, what satisfies the soul? For the purposes of this course we have selected the six that seem to be the most popular or common to scholars. The first four areas of satisfaction are the soul’s desire for freedom, hope, purpose, and joy. The final two areas of satisfaction are interesting. Behavioral theories have evolved showing that the desire to be unique and special competes with the desire to belong... it’s kind of like a tug of war.

Most people feel they want to be included in their community, BUT at the same time... be seen as unique and special. This is a very interesting tension in life that everyone feels, but aren’t necessarily aware of the effects this tension has on the satisfaction of their soul. ... Again, it’s like a tug of war of identities. While this friction is part of human nature, a person’s personality and their culture can determine how much of an effect this intra-personal “war” has on them.

You will see this worldview challenge unfold as we discuss life in community and life as an individual in the following sessions. But first, take a moment and just reflect on these six dimensions of satisfaction. Then we will discuss them one by one. As you look at these six needs, think about the idea that if you were 100% satisfied in all 6 at the same time, would that mean you have your priorities properly ordered to produce an abundant and virtuous life? Remember our Memory Principle: “The outcome of my life fits my priorities”.

So here they are again:
“PURPOSE” is where you find you meaning and reason for being.
“JOY” is ... feeling good about life.
“FREEDOM” is the idea of having a lack of constraint.
“HOPE” is the positive expectation (not just a wish) of the future.
“ESTEEM” comes from when you are uniquely loved, feeling special and approved.
“BELONGING” is when you feel included and accepted in a group.

We are going to be exploring these individually, so take some time looking through these, and when you are ready to move on, press “continue”.

OK, it is good you are taking your time with this. It is very important part of this course. Let’s go ahead and move on. If you find a need to spend more time on this chart, there will be opportunities to revisit it later if you wish.

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