Beyond Pleasure And Pain

When pursued to an extreme, hedonism can lead to a downward spiral of depression, despair, and self-destruction. This is because pleasure and pain are not enough to give life purpose, and a life without purpose may not be worth the pain of existence.

Malcolm X is a good example of somebody who had lost his way until he found the meaning in his life. His father, the Reverend Earl Little, was a Baptist minister and dedicated organizer for the Universal Negro Improvement Association. Malcolm was proud of his fathers activities, but his family paid a heavy price when their house in Omaha, Nebraska, was burned by the Klu Klux Klan. Later his father was murdered and the family moved to Lansing, Michigan. As a lad, Malcolm did well in school, even becoming class president one year, but he became discouraged when a teacher told him that a black man could not hope to become a lawyer. With his ambition thwarted by racism, Malcolms life started to lose its meaning. He moved to Boston to live with an older sister, and he pursued a life of pleasure-seeking.

Still in his teens, country-boy Malcolm Little was fascinated by the ways of Boston. His main goals in life were having fun, gaining prestige among his peer group, and romance. In Boston, he went to dance halls in his zoot suit and did the lindy hop. He also conked his hair in a painful process that straightened out the curls and made his hair shiny. He eventually turned to selling drugs. By age 21 he was addicted to cocaine and sent to jail for burglary.

In prison Malcolm had to decide if he wanted to overcome his drug addiction and survive, or just die and end his suffering. When his brother encouraged him to become a follower of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, Malcolm found a new lifestyle that satisfied his basic desires and made his life meaningful. He gave up partying and embraced the basic values of honor, leadership, and social justice. He became a devout Muslim and he quickly rose to a position of leadership within the Nation of Islam.

Malcolm X, as he became known after he converted to Islam, had undergone a dramatic change. He went from street hustler to religious leader; from drug addiction to strict adherence to the laws of Islam; from a life of irresponsibility to one of social concern for his people. However, the seeds of this change were in Malcolm X from childhood. He had always been proud of his heritage and concerned about social justice for African-Americans. When the Nation of Islam provided an opportunity for him to satisfy these deep desires, Malcolm X found the meaning in his life.

Malcolm Xs life story teaches us the difference between feel-good and value-based happiness. When he pursued feel-good happiness, his life was meaningless, and he was in a downward spiral that led to much more misery than happiness. When he pursued value-based happiness, he redeemed himself and regained his sense of purpose and general sense of well-being.

By: Francis David