Some authors explain the reluctance to pursue true religious bliss by noting that many people do not seek spiritual perfection but are content with superficial emotions and external signs of well-being.

Spiritual Depth vs. Superficial Contentment

Some authors explain the reluctance to pursue true religious bliss by noting that many people do not seek spiritual perfection but are content with superficial emotions and external signs of well-being. For example, one argument states that a person guided solely by sensual perception of life becomes a slave to fleeting sensations, and therefore his behavior in the temple lacks genuine spiritual character.

As noted:"Here comes a person into the temple, but why does he behave so rudely here?

It's because his perception of life is merely sensual, and he is a slave to his sinful feelings, which the devil stirs up within him. When I was pushed—so I thought, 'I must definitely do something: why are you pushing me?'... The reason is that a person serves not God, but himself. That is why many people attend the temple for decades, yet essentially understand nothing, remain unaware of what spiritual life truly is." (source: link txt)

Moreover, many people are convinced that their lives are already well arranged, and they see no need for change. They hold the belief that there is no point in altering what they consider already quite wonderful:

"What prevents people from turning to Christ? In their minds they think: 'What is there to change in our lives? We are no worse than others—we are well brought up, decent. What would our conversion change? We are pretty much like the Christians...'" (source: link txt)

There are also frequent cases where a person seeks fulfillment through external symbols of success and well-being—such as state fame, titles, ranks, or mass culture—believing that these can shape his inner world. This approach replaces sincere spiritual aspiration with the pursuit of earthly riches, effectively precluding the possibility of truly attaining supreme bliss:

"He hopes that his inner world will be shaped by the epoch, the times, state law, collectives, titles, ranks, mass culture, civilization." (source: link txt)

Thus, the reluctance to pursue genuine religious bliss can be explained both by an emotional dependence on sensory experiences and by the conviction that external factors are sufficient to secure happiness, thereby preventing an individual from realizing the depth of spiritual life.

Supporting citation(s):
"Here comes a person into the temple, but why does he behave so rudely here? ... The reason is that a person serves not God, but himself. That is why many people attend the temple for decades, yet essentially understand nothing, remain unaware of what spiritual life truly is." (source: link txt)

"What prevents people from turning to Christ? In their minds they think: 'What is there to change in our lives? We are no worse than others—we are well brought up, decent. What would our conversion change? We are pretty much like the Christians...'" (source: link txt)

"He hopes that his inner world will be shaped by the epoch, the times, state law, collectives, titles, ranks, mass culture, civilization." (source: link txt)