Christopher Dawson

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Pleasure! Almost everyone desires pleasure. They think that without pleasure they could not have a happy life. However, according to Christopher Dawson, people can live without pleasure. His revolutionary idea states, “You can give men food and leisure and amusements and good conditions of work, and still they will remain unsatisfied. You can deny them all these things, and they will not complain so long as they feel that they have something to die for.” This means that something worth dying for ranks higher than pleasure. To most people, this seems impossible. Nevertheless, leisure, amusements, and great jobs do not acquire happiness and satisfaction, but having something worth dying for can acquire them as shown by the explanation of the …show more content…
Every person has a longing in his heart. Some people try to fill it with pleasure and in their jobs. Pleasure and great jobs, though, do not satisfy the longing in a person. While they might gratify at the moment, amusements, jobs, and pleasure do not bring real and lasting satisfaction that every person runs after. The human heart longs for something above, something higher than pleasure; for “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money; nor he who loves wealth, with gain: this also is vanity.” People desire to have a sense of worth, honor, and being. Something which they will die for brings them this, especially if that something worth dying for is God. Knowing that one would die for something gives a man strength, courage, and honor in his heart. This truly takes the place of leisure, amusements, and good work. It also puts into man’s heart contentment that will not let him complain about his carnal senses since complaining about carnal pleasure would degrade his courage and honor. In conclusion, leisure, pleasure, and quality work do not satisfy the heart of a man but instead bring dissatisfaction. Something worth dying for, on the other hand, gives a man a sense of honor, worth, and being, which brings abundant joy and satisfaction. The profound meaning of Christopher Dawson’s quote should last forever in the hearts of

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