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Benatar in his asymmetry argument assumes pain to be bad and pleasure to be good. But is it really that simple?

Its one of the more intuitive things to say because we generally tend to avoid pain and seek pleasure. Inflicting pain is considered bad but inflicting pleasure is considered good or at least not bad.

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I don’t think it is. Pain is painful, and pleasure is pleasurable, But all these are, are messages from the body, about the body. They aren’t good or bad. Pleasure can be a nice bonus for, say, getting something done, but pursuing pleasure for the sake of pleasure is not good (well, it’s at least a dangerous slippery slope, and should be recognized as such, if you want to stay healthy). Conversely, pain tell us when something is not right, in our body or our mind. Which is an excellent thing. Well adjusted and healthy guilt is another amazing form of pain, which leads to many great things. Hell, we wouldnt have blues, and consecutively, the last century of music without immense pain. I suppose its a bit like asking ‚is rain good or bad‘? Good or bad has nothing to do with it. It’s just a physical proccess.

though to be honest, don’t know his works, and have taken your framing as word. Perhaps i am misunderstanding his real intention, or what he actually means by it. Im commenting on your question, not his work, as i have no knowledge of it.

Also, you are right, it is intuitive to think that. Intuition is another signal the body sends, and i have learned over time to be incredibly wary of it. If i notice myself using intuition, i stop immediately. I’ve become ok a it so far.

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  Norhing  is something and nothing can be empty a space is full of emptiness. Everyone is abundant in something: I am abundant in health and energy and abundant in financial lack.

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When i write, i have a lecturing and arrogant tone. I use the word ‚you‘ too much, and it seems like ‚i know better‘ orders. apologies, that is not my intent. when i say ‚you are‘ i mean ‚one is‘. Like, any human..Last but not least. Between the nothingness of nothingness and the Universe in which we find ourselves, there is no difference, and since in the end everything returns to the nothingness of nothingness, then we are nothing more than dust, cosmic dust and nothing more. Voilà our destiny and our end.

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Which means you are free from the confines of the importance of fate and greatness. Where you are is a baseline for the start of a happy life. There is no need to take ANY of it seriously if you don’t want to. The universe doesn’t. It’s so liberating. It means you can choose what are your goals in life, rather than thinking you have to accomplish everyone else’s goals to be happy. I chose learning. not formally, but for me it’s the thing that makes life worth living. There’s no reason for me to exist, so i might as well enjoy the zoo, and learn as much about its crazyness as i want. No need for the social life. No need for the lofty goals. No need for a billion possesions. I own two sets of plates and cutlery for myself, all plastic. In my 20’s i always got proper sets, that looked like the kind of thing a succesful human would buy. maybe if i get the right set, ill be happy, like they seem to be… what a waste of time, stressing about something i didnt want, because i thought i should want it! Now, i do things in the way i want them. and i can be content whenever i want : I can just open a book, or a youtube, or just have a look around, and learn more things about the world i presume to predict (I.E, plan, make judgements, be generally a good bayesian) with my brain.