YOLO: Is Enjoying Life the Main Thing?

You have probably encountered the term "YOLO" in various places- perhaps in an advertisement, as graffiti on a wall, or printed on a dessert. This phrase is an acronym for "You Only Live Once." Its purpose is to encourage people to try new experiences, take risks, perform dangerous stunts, but mainly, to derive as much pleasure as possible before death arrives. It's a modern version of the ancient phrase "Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" (Isaiah 22:13).

Suppose we were able to achieve maximum pleasure 24 hours a day, until the moment of our death. Would the pleasure provide any satisfaction?

Hashem designed our brains in such a way that every time we eat, laugh, or experience an enjoyable activity, substances are released in our brain that make us feel pleasure and joy, so that we perform actions that are beneficial for our survival.

As early as the 1950s, scientists discovered the "reward center" in the brains of rats and managed to stimulate it with an electrical current using electrodes. They allowed the rat to press a button to do it itself. And what happened? The rat pressed the button repeatedly, without stopping. It did not eat, drink, or take interest in mates. Eventually, it died of thirst and hunger, while pressing the button until its last breath!

Would any of us want to live in a cage like a rat, if our lives were sustained through endless button-pressing? Is it worth living just for the sake of pleasure? Is this a goal worthy of being a human?

Pleasure is really just a response to a desire—a quick fix, like pressing a button, that provides temporary satisfaction until the craving returns. King Solomon pointed this out when he said, “About laughter, I said: madness; and about joy, what does it accomplish?” (Ecclesiastes 2:2). The word “madness” here is explained to mean foolishness (Rashbam). In other words, the wisest man who ever lived concluded that joy, when it’s just about fun or entertainment, is ultimately empty and pointless.

This is not to say that a person should suffer or abstain from all of life's pleasures, but rather to help distinguish the essential from the trivial in life: We should think of pleasures like fuel in a car, as a means for travel, but not a goal. Pleasure is very useful when it is for the spiritual purpose of serving the Creator, but on its own, it is meaningless. May it be Hashem's will that we succeed in serving Him with all the strengths He has given us.