Popular Culture Review Vol. 16, No. 2, Summer 2005 | Page 34

30 • • • • • Popular Culture Review Interactive presentations: The adventurous pleasures are the experiences of sheer enjoyment we receive from exploring the unknown: revelation, novelties. Proactive presentations: The mission-oriented pleasures are evoked by the thrill of the chase. Among the most ancient human missions was surely the himt accomplishment of some objective game: when there is a goal that is well-defined Spontaneous representations: The imaginary pleasures emanate from the realm of fantasy. The theatre of the imagination plays a pivotal role in the human psyche. Interactive representations: The communicative pleasures are derived from all facets of shared experience. Through the symbolic means of language, be it written, spoken, or signed: brainstorming, gossiping, and other freestyle forms of conversation, the Confession. Communication can also be carried out through touch and action. The lover’s kiss and caress are often more than just sensual delights, but also explicit expressions of affection. Proactive representations: The speculative pleasures emerge from predictions about the future. The keen ability of the human mind to model reality naturally entices us to contemplate ‘"what-if scenarios” as a prelude to decision making. The institutions of investing and gambling allow us to place stakes on how precisely the outcome of real events conform to our expectations. Winning many kinds of games in general often depends upon how good we are at outguessing our opponents. Speculation also facilitates the advancement of knowledge, since by doing so we lay the initial groundwork for discovery. There also exists a great human fascination with prognostication, even when the methods employed are known to be dubious (such as astrology and other forms of fortune telling). Balance is the key, rather than intensity. Happiness is maximized by a regimen of p