21st Century Epicurean

    In this post I take up point number 4, for both extroverts as well as the introvert "sensitive souls" among us. As Epicureans how do we see ourselves in relation to the world? And how do we feel our own self-presence? How do we move through the world? How do we inhabit the world? There is a Bible verse about "being in the world but not of it", but as Epicureans I would suggest that we take up the opposite idea -- of being in the world AND of it. We are not separate from the world and we aren't going somewhere better when we die. This is it. So how do we want to live this one life that we have? For the sensitive soul we may decide to create and spend some time in a nice nest or retreat (maybe a "man-cave"/"woman-cave" we've set up somewhere in our homes). This could be a place for creative activities and/or for meditation. Yet, fully inhabiting this world has so much to offer -- beauty, fun, and pleasurable new experiences. Making wi

   Each person varies as to their individual dispositions and sensitivities, and we are unique in how we experience sensations within our body. An Epicurean relies upon the feedback of the feelings of pleasure and pain to decide what to move toward and what to avoid. When choosing between various options, we applying reasoning based on past experience to answer the question: "What will happen if I do this, and what will happen if I do not", and there is an anticipation as to how the future result may unfold. 1. Embracing sensation - As Epicureans we can stop feeling guilty about enjoying sensation, and live life like a "happy leaping pig". Take the time to really notice how good a warm shower feels. See what else you can enjoy through-out your day. 2. Balancing the feelings -- Sometimes painful feelings crowd out the pleasurable ones, and you need to see what you can do to get back into a balanced state of well-being. Here are some of things which may throw

    Does the Epicurean lifestyle lead to a happier life? I would like to present the idea that happiness is a practice that can be learned. So it is possible to enhance one's happiness by doing and thinking certain things. In several of the Epicurean verses we see indications of the feeling tone present in an Epicurean lifestyle: "One must laugh and seek wisdom and tend to one's home life and use one's other goods, and always recount the pronouncements of true philosophy." (VS 41) "Friendship dances around the world, announcing to each of us that we must awaken to happiness." (VS 52) "It is not the young man who is most happy, but the old man who has lived beautifully; for despite being at his very peak the young man stumbles around as if he were of many minds, whereas the old man has settled into old age as if in a harbor, secure in his gratitude for the good things he was once unsure of." (VS 17) Consider the feeling tone of your last three d

  This is the time of year in which many people take on New Year's resolutions and take on a diet to lose excess pounds gained during the holidays.  Even before the holidays, the dopamine rush that tasty foods bring to our bodies can lead us to eat more calories than we burn. We may slowly gain weight, with health consequences such as high blood pressure, low energy, or wear-and-tear on knee joints. Our appearance and comfort also diminishes when clothing gets too tight. As Epicureans we choose pleasure that leads to happiness and good health. The following are Epicurean aphorisms from the Vatican Sayings (St. Andre translation) on which to ponder and may help encourage you on a path toward healthy eating. 54. Do not pretend to love and practice wisdom, but love and practice wisdom in reality; for we need not the appearance of health but true health. 59. The stomach is not insatiable, as most people say; instead the opinion that the stomach needs unlimited filling is false. 68. N

  Some random musings today about pleasure, and the holiday season... As human beings we make choices based on both conscious and unconscious motivations and on our internal conceptual construct of the world. We can have either a "default" (letting things happen as they may) or we can hold a stance focused toward consciously chosing -- such as the creation and contemplation of personal goals. And we can set for ourselves the goal of focusing more on what brings pleasure and joy, as well as noticing what brings a smile to our face as we interact with others. How our life unfolds depends on this:  We are subject to the options we perceive when we make choices. But what affects the options that we perceive? I would say that positivity and a sense of competence (based on my reading of the book "Positivity" by Barbara Fredrickson -- this may need to be a future blog). Thinking further about positivity and competence...perhaps this is the meaning behind one of the four

​I am not a minimalist, but I have read various articles on the internet about adopting minimalist tips. I can see that the benefits and pleasures that would arise from this would be more clarity, order, time, space to create, and ease in finding things.  I am currently in a temporary situation staying with my sister, in which most of my possessions are in the one room that I sleep in (and in which I spend all my time in when I am at home). And there are a few other things I have left in boxes and keep stored in the garage. So trying to stay organized is challenging for me right now, since I am always digging through boxes to find things, and I don't have enough selves to organize everything. Through the understanding of Epicurean ethics, there is no absolute rule regarding what and how much one owns. So the choice is to decide what brings pleasure. I think that there are elements of minimalism that could aid in bringing happiness for people who might be drawn to the need

This list is a combination of self-reflection, observation, and reasoning regarding pleasure. It is both those that arise naturally and those that take some effort to seek out: day to day, week to week, and over a lifetime. It comes out of pondering foundational teachings of Epicurean philosophy. There are no writings of Epicurus that indicate that he thought through things in this manner, yet this might be a step toward understanding "natural and necessary" categories. This is not a complete list (I will add more soon), and it is a mix of personal and hypothetical pleasures (for example I don't play tennis but decided to list it as a sport). This may need to be re-organized, and the categories may need shifting also.   A List of Life Pleasures I. Shorter duration A. Shorter lasting and occur often or daily (for everyone)   -eating: smelling, tasting, enjoying -other brief pleasurable sensations of sight and sound B. Shorter lasting and occur daily (but depends upon in

  Why study Epicurean philosophy? There could be many reasons why a given individual might want to study this philosophy. 1) An enjoyment of engaging the mind in philosophical thinking - this might be experienced differently for everyone, and could be an aspect of reading, taking notes, listening to podcasts, or in engaging personal contemplation or interpretation of the philosophy. 2) The enjoyment of philosophical discussion - engaging with others in a way that challenges one's own thinking -- or discussing the philosophy in order to come to a better understanding. 3) Learning, contemplating, and putting into practice the wisdom of this philosophy -- as a means toward living a better life.   How does Epicurean philosophy help one live a better life? 1) There can be ease and peace which arises when one feels more clear and understands one's own personal worldview -- a worldview which is free of superstitious thinking, free of a belief in a supernatural god -- as well as free o

  First I will give some background about what I came out of before studying Epicureanism. For a time I studied Buddhism and attended a Zen Buddhist group. In Buddhism, meditation is the practice by which one seeks to quiet one's desires, because certain unfulfilled desires can cause mental anxiety and stress. One may discover a momentary inner sense of contentment while sitting still, but after leaving the meditation cushion, one discovers that those all too human desires are right back there again.  Desire is what keeps humans beings alive. If we don't eat food we die; likewise water and shelter are naturally essential needs. Yet what of all the other myriad desires that come with being alive and human? As Epicureans we seek to live a happy and enjoyable life, and we learn how to dance with our desires.  Epicurus said in his Letter to Menoeceus: "And we must consider that some of the passions are natural, and some empty; and of the natural ones some are necessary, and so

Epicurus is said to have originally written over 300 works on various subjects, but the vast majority of these writings have been lost. 1) Diogenes Laertius - A major source for Epicurean doctrine is Diogenes Laertius, a Greek biographer (3rd century CE). Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers   Book 10 contains three of Epicurus’ letters to his disciples: the "Letter to Herodotus" on physical theory, the "Letter to Menoeceus" on Epicurean ethics, and the "Letter to Pythocles" on astronomical and meteorological matters. Also contained in this book are the “Principal Doctrines” (Kuriai Doxai) in which Diogenes quotes a collection of short sayings excerpted from the writings of Epicurus. Diogenes also fills in topics not covered in the Letters, and provides a list of Epicurus’ writings and other biographical information. https://monadnock.net/epicurus/principal-doctrines.html https://monadnock.net/epicurus/letter.html http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hop

The following blog post came to me after reading an email in which a friend wrote the phrase: "I guess I better....". It got me thinking, because I've also noticed that phrase in my self, in various situations. It is sometimes also phrased as "I guess I better stop...."The following is intended to be helpful for evaluating whether or not a given activity is "working" or bringing benefits or bringing pleasure for your unique situation. Based on some of my philosophy studies, this personal exploration of a hedonic calculus leads to an evaluation of activities and possible future decisions in light of one's own individual pleasure and benefit. Of course we must honor all social commitments and agreements, as well as deeply consider the well-being of our loved ones. In Epicureanism the word "pleasure" has a complicated understanding - it's not just short-term sensory pleasures, but also includes long-term mental pleasures such as peace of

In this blog I want to step outside the bounds of classical Epicurean scholarship and explore pleasure and tranquility using a simple “common sense” approach. Pleasure and tranquility need not be mutually exclusive. Not all stress should be avoided and modern Epicureans should move away from seeing tranquility as a main goal. Epicureans want to live enjoyably and happily, yet modern life is far from tranquil and can create a lot of stress. As modern Epicureans we can see that some people greatly enjoy excitement, activity, and stimulation, and other people enjoy quietude, relaxation, and tranquility. Introverts are estimated to be 25% of the population, and tend to desire more tranquility than extroverts. So keeping in mind that there can be differences in temperament, it makes sense that what is considered pleasurable will also depend on temperament. It would be wrong to impose any one group’s preferences onto another group.  For the sensitive constitution of introverts, the right lev

A Call to Joyous Epicurean Living (Revised 01/16/23) Rejoice in the joys of the body and the soul. Rise up and dance! For the soul keeps safe the seat of wisdom. Mother Nature governs t he body and easily teaches us the wisest ways to enjoy living. Partake in the all the joys of the body often and with prudence. Feel your skin, feel your breath, see the sunlight and all the colors, taste the delight of water and sometimes wine, smell and savor that which nourishes you at every mealtime. As the ancient song of Seikilos says: "While you live, shine! Have no grief at all. Life exists only for a short while, and time demands its due." The soul does not live forever, as some may believe. For it only comes to animate the flesh just as heat comes from a burning fire. And when the organs of the body cease to function and the heat of the body dissipates, so too does the soul cease to be. And just as a kernel of wheat ripens, so too the soul ripens with the experience of living. E

The modern revival of Epicureanism should be practiced as a philosophy not as a religion. There is no need for faith or symbolic rituals to embolden the empirical understanding of this philosophy. One studies and implements this philosophy to directly and personally experience the benefits of this wisdom. While one might at times feel an intense gratitude toward the teachings and the original teacher Epicurus, there is no need to create a religion out of it. The world has seen too much harm and violence from organized religion. By maintaining the identity of a philosophical society rather than a religion, Epicurean revivalists offer a feeling of openness and freedom to those who have experienced past injury from religious fundamentalism. Instead of the worship of a leader (be it Epicurus or a currently living guide) thorough study and practice of Epicurean principles take center stage. Each individual in the society of Epicurean friends can then become a natural ambassador of joy. T

Epicurus (341-270BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher and sage who founded Epicureanism. He established his school of philosophy known as the "Garden", in Athens. He is said to have written over 300 works, but most of these writings have been lost. From a few remaining collections and from later authors, his teachings continue to inspire and guide those who so desire, toward a life filled with wisdom and happiness. " Let no one put off the love and practice of wisdom when young, nor grow tired of it when old. For it is never too early or too late for the health of the soul. Someone who says that the time to love and practice wisdom has not yet come or has passed is like someone who says that the time for happiness has not yet come or has passed. Young or old, it is necessary to love and practice wisdom, so that in old age you can be youthful by taking joy in the good things you remember, and likewise in youth you can be mature by not fearing what will come. Reflect on wh