Allurement

Immediate allurement and lasting satisfaction

"Life is actually conspiring on your own behalf. If you stop attempting to use it for immediate goals, then you will be able to perceive it working on your behalf."

"When you reach maturity, you are not going for things that are momentary. You want things that last. You want to build something. You are thinking not only of immediate satisfaction.You are thinking of future providership. You are thinking of yourself in terms of making a contribution, not only for the present time but in times to come. Here your life becomes much bigger.You are living in a bigger world.You are seeing yourself participating in a larger time frame.This represents maturity."

"When real meaning, purpose and value are not self-evident, people assign value to their relationships based upon their own immediate needs, preferences and understanding."

"Be aware that what offers immediate allurement rarely offers lasting satisfaction. When you think objectively about this, you will see that immediate allurement and lasting satisfaction are usually incompatible with one another. For how can a moment of pleasure in any way compare to a lifetime of giving and receiving, a lifetime of accomplishment and fulfillment and a lifetime of learning, challenge and success?"

See also

Metaphors for vantage point

Perspective

Satisfaction

Further study

• Wisdom from the Greater Community, Book 1, Chapter 32: Achievement

• Wisdom from the Greater Community, Book 2, Chapter 1: Ambition