7 hours ago, Nerian said:
How is it worth going through all that mental suffering for a rare ephemeral scrap of mental enjoyment?
Because it doesn’t have to be rare or ephemeral. As @DonAthos observed, although you may or may not be able to find happiness in the next few hours or days, in the long run your overall quality of life (the quantity of joy you can experience) is in your own hands.
That’s exactly what the purpose of Egoism is; for you to learn how to correctly apply your brain and your hands to the pursuit of consistently-experienced happiness.
For example, I’m at work right now (on my lunch break). I’ve been working 10 hours a day, five or six days a week, and frankly it sucks. As much as it truly sucks right now, though, I know it’ll be worth it on payday; it’ll result in a net gain of my own happiness.
This is exactly analogous to your working out in order to pick up hot chicks. The trick to doing it correctly is to understand which desires are worth pursuing (will lead to happiness) and which aren’t, and that’s where Egoism comes in.
Whether it’s worth it to pursue your own happiness, in the first place, is something you have to judge for yourself. All I can try to give you is hope.
