Four Truths and No Self

My initial perspective of this text was like most Christian's, pessimistic in nature. However after careful reading i came to the realization that negative or not, it is reality. The four noble truths of suffering, birth, old age, sickness, and death. The fundamental concept is that pain is inevitable, everything is subject to change, therefore the Buddha prescribed a prescription for the fundamental problems of life. One must abstain from the cravings of worldly things, whether it is love or the love of material things,the desire's of the heart are dangerous to behold. The Buddhas prescription is a powerful mechanism to keep one from being ensnarled and entangled in a web of frustration and defeat in the essence of things being impermenant.
Pain is inevitable, regardless of your origin of religion. What i do know is that we are all seeking a release and escape from the pain's of life, whether one is a Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, etc...
The teachings of the Buddha thus states "that suffering its cause; its cessation, and the path to its cessation are realities which we fail to see as they are, and this is true for the Buddhist and non Buddhist". One may ask the question is it better to experience periods of pleasure in pursuit of our desires or to abstain for fear of  change or failure? Is this truly happiness? Or indeed a dose of medicine and cure for the problems of life?