Gratification would be; contentment is

The following is an excerpt from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant.

Question (Q): Should we delay our gratification? If yes, then to what extent and for how long?

Acharya Prashant (AP): By delay, you mean time, to put it ahead in time. Man uses time itself for gratification. When you say delay gratification, you only mean, that I am expecting more gratification by the use of time. If I do it now, it may be one unit of pleasure, if I do it six days later, it may be six units of pleasure. So, all delay is undertaken with the goal of maximizing gratification. Whatever involves time, would always be a trick of the mind, and the mind wants nothing but gratification. So to say that I am delaying my gratification is a paradox of sorts. You do not delay gratification, you may give yourself the illusion of delay, but all this delay is so that the gratification can be multiplied manifolds a little later. You are using time; just using time. The real does not involve the use of time.

Listener (L): Does that mean that time has nothing to do with gratification?

AP: Time has everything to do with gratification. All gratification exists in time. Whenever you say that there is gratification, always there is the want of gratification and that want is always in time. What else is the use of time to…