Why do we choose so many things that are not good for us? The simple answer is pleasure. All vices are appealing because they are pleasurable. Food, spending, sloth, and substance abuse all follow these trends.
Satisfying your needs in the here and now is a natural urge, but not a very mature one. The real strength in life is deferred pleasure.
For example, it's not easy to work out, to exercise. However, if you do, you get a nicely toned body and all the advantages that come of it, and therefore, a lot of pleasure in the form of being able to go and do the things you want (mountain climbing, a swim at the beach) as well as all the ego associated benefits, and the healthier life. It's the same way with knowledge. If you take the time to learn, to slog through the material, you get mental muscles. Learning is an excellent example of deferred pleasure. To master a difficult subject, you really have to stretch your brains, you have to struggle. Reaching that epiphany point, where suddenly it all comes clear makes it all worthwhile.
How do we teach people the value of deferred pleasure and the hazards of instantaneous pleasure? Given that teenagers have (medically proven) difficulties with impulse control, this is an uphill battle. The rewards would be vast if you could infect society with this understanding and get people to believe in it and live it. That would be a cool world to see.
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