Happiness
is one of the most important parts of philosophy. It was practiced and taught by many
philosophers and writers throughout history, like Frederic Nietzsche,
Aristotle, and Henry David Thoreau. Who
else comes to mind though?
Socrates? Plato? Immanuel Kant? How about Epicurus? For those of you who are unaware of who he is
(although I’m sure we’ve all heard of him in this course), Epicurus was a Greek
philosopher born in 341 BC who founded the school of philosophy known as
Epicureanism and formed the Pleasure Garden, a place where he, his friends, and
students congregated and lived together.
I remember Epicurus from my previous semester in my Intro To Philosophy
course, and I instantly began to identify with his views.
He teaches
his followers to seek only simple pleasures in life and the friendship of
others. For him, the most pleasant life
is “one where we abstain from unnecessary desires and achieve an inner
tranquility (ataraxia) by being content with simple things, and by
choosing the pleasure of philosophical conversation with friends over the
pursuit of physical pleasures like food, drink, and sex”. I certainly identify with this; to be happy,
we don’t need expensive items, fancy buffets, and sex (although I’m certain
many would disagree with me on that!).
Personally, a good conversation with friends on my back porch with an
Angry Orchard is good enough for me. Or
I could converse without the drink!
Regardless, I can be happy without fancy things like the new iPhone or
the latest Yeezys. Like his predecessors
Aristotle and Plato, Epicurus says that we all desire happiness, and that all
other things desired are the means towards obtaining happiness. He once wrote his definition of happiness as:
“Pleasure is our first and kindred good. It
is the starting point of every choice and of every aversion, and to it we
always come back, inasmuch as we make feeling the rule by which to judge of
every good thing.”
Epicurus
also believed that we make out lives unhappy with the belief that a god(s) will
punish us for our misdeeds, and that death is something we all must fear. This is because these beliefs produce fear
and anxiety inside us and thus prohibits us from obtaining happiness. To Epicurus, the gods don’t concern
themselves directly with mortals, as they are eternal, perfect beings. On death, he once wrote, “Death is
meaningless to the living because they are living, and meaningless to the dead…
because they are dead.” This, too, I can
agree with, as many of us are terrified of dying tomorrow or a month from
now. I’d rather be more concerned with
being able to see friends than when I’m going to kick the bucket. I know many people from back home in West
Tennessee who are God-fearing Christians, and while it’s good that they have a
belief in God, they seem too focused on His might. They’re too focused on when God will strike
them down than to continue to be happy with their own lives. To them, I say don’t worry about it! Focus on what’s going on around you and not
what’s above your heads. Jesus taught us
to be happy with our neighbors, and thus we should.
Do you
agree with this? Perhaps instead of
texting emojis to each other on the new expensive iPhones, why not start an
actual conversation with somebody?
Instead of playing the latest Call Of Duty on your gaming console, go
outside and take a walk. Don’t worry
about what’s going to happen to you tomorrow or next week. Focus on the simple things in life, and
always be friendly. Always talk with
your friends, preferably in person! This
is what Epicurus taught centuries ago, and his lessons survive to this
day. While modern Epicureanism seeks
any/all pleasures in both simple and complex forms (i.e. good food, nice
clothes, etc.), all Epicurus wanted was a cheerful mindset and a good
conversation with good friends.
1st Installment: http://philoshap.blogspot.com/2017/12/music-happiness-latham-crihfield.html
Source: http://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/history-of-happiness/epicurus/
Comments:
-https://philoshap.blogspot.com/2017/12/philosophy-of-music-2nd-installment.html?showComment=1513044848206#c2774027327172749216
-https://philoshap.blogspot.com/2017/12/second-installmentfinal-happiness-by.html?showComment=1513045059728#c973654349662050994
Calvin has a point: we must appreciate the moment... but not all moments are created equal! And yet, they all go better with a friend.
ReplyDeleteI agree. We often find contentment in what culture of society tells us to find it in, such as the new iPhone, new car, etc. Yet, we never stop to wonder what such material things actually do for our happiness. Sure, they may bring a temporary bliss, but never the sort of happiness we would be grateful for later on in life. I would much rather find my contentment in friendship as Epicurus did.
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