Pursuits

Words mean concepts and so it is good to explain their meaning at times because the common meanings change over time. When we are talking about pleasure in this context, a better word would be "joy". It is the combination of pleasures in the area of the rational, irrational and physical parts of our being. Pain in this context would be better described as misery.
It would be nice to put all our motives under these terms and say that we should simply avoid misery and do things that bring joy, but that is over-simplistic. Even when we should be happy with what we have, there seems to be another element to satisfaction that is missing. Aristotle addresses this. The problem is that in the three areas mentioned, we always get familiar and have a need for stimulation of some kind. We get tired of the same foods, scenery and things that have to do with our senses. We get tired of the struggle to be a good person not to mention our passions always want more. We want to experience more close relationships.We want a challenge. If everything becomes old, (and everything does eventually) futility hangs over us and we get depressed and anxious. This can make our life miserable even when from the outside everything looks great. The more creative a person is and the more passionate, the more work it takes to deal with this. We tend to do things compulsively to break out but it ends up an exchange for pleasures in other areas. Things that violate our conscience and those we love will make us miserable.
I think the book Ecclesiastes in the Bible addresses this well. The book is depressing in some ways but it is the musings of Solomon, a highly intelligent man who had everything a person could ever ask for. He concludes that having all the wealth, travel, women, intelligence and power in the world is nothing but vanity, a chasing after the wind. His says that in the end, we should enjoy ourselves as much as possible while we still have our senses. The saying. "Eat, drink and be merry", comes from this book. But he also says to keep in mind that we will answer to God. This addresses the rational and principled part of our soul we mentioned. Another suggestion he makes is to "enjoy the wife of your youth". Meaningful relationships are an anchor when everything else is blowing away. His final conclusion is to be "occupied with gladness", we shouldn't live a life of regret but keep our thoughts focused on what is good.
If it was possible to have a community of people who are genuinely happy, there would be no need for laws. We are talking about Ideals when we talk about ethics. We all have unique talents and passions. It would be wonderful if they could all be actuated safely without hurting others. That can be a tall challenge but happiness is worth the effort. There is no sense to back away from challenges; we need them. But it adds work to consider others while pursuing our passions. The founders of our country considered the pursuit of passions the biggest danger to governing since our laws need to be applicable to everyone; even if they don't share the same passions. That is the challenge of everyday life. Not everyone values our pursuits as we do.
So joy is the result of our passions, rational principles, and physical pleasure having a degree of satisfaction. It isn't something we ever arrive at permanently. By appreciating what we have and keeping the drive for new experiences, joy is experienced in lives.