Human Hedonism and Snow Plank Euphoria
Hey, B.B. the soul goat here, checking in with all y’all human-folk. I must admit, I am just getting used to typing- my hooves don’t necessarily lend themselves useful to this type of thing.
With snow season here, I am inclined to write on an observation I have been making this week on humans and hedonism. Hedonism is defined as the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good. When I was a young goat, I was mostly concerned with this pleasure. I would wake up in the morning and live my day according to what was going to make me baaa the most. I would walk along the narrow ridgelines in the Sawtooths, with the wind blowing in my beard, skipping from crag to crag. When I came across a suitable rock, I would kick it off and watch it race down, gaining speed and tumbling and flying until it came to a stop. What a hoot! (to borrow my friend owl’s expression.) Besides mating, ridge-walking and rock tumbling made me happiest.
Now, when I watch you humans out there in the Sawtooths in winter, I am reminded of hedonism. With those funny-lookin’ planks strapped to your feet, you walk through the snow to the top of the hills and peaks. Then, I watch you speed down through the snowfields, turning back and forth. I can tell by the noises y’all make that it is exhilarating. You spend the whole day going up and down. I do say it looks like a whole lotta fun.
As I get older, (and I am not at all saying I’m an old goat yet,) I tend to think there has to be a way to justify hedonism with a purpose of higher good other that the pure joyful act itself. For me, I have found my highest good in reaching out to humans to find their mountain soul. I can still spend my days walking the Sawtooth ridgelines, but instead of focusing on my own happiness, I tend to put my thoughts into turning people on to the splendor of Mom Nature. Because it’s Her world, after all, and being surrounded by her is what will make humans most happy.
I tend to believe that most of you humans are connecting with your mountain soul when you partake in this snow plank euphoria. Oh…I wish someday, I could do the same…I could strap those planks to my hooves and feel what it is like to soar down the hillsides like a rollin’ stone, snow flying all over my body, snaking back and forth, ziggin’ and zaggin’, rockin’ and rollin’, creating beautiful artwork in the snowfields of the Sawtooths.
Keepin’ it soulful,
B.B.