fearing death is often fear of meaninglessness
For some people it is not so much the moment of death that is daunting . Their agony is born of the realization that “at some point all that we are is as if it never was and we are helpless to change that. More than that is knowing the same is true for those we love and worse yet for those died suddenly or tragically. “
Is it possible that the fact that we come from nothingness and then disappear into nothingness makes them feel that this life is meaningless? Some of my clients used to gripe with this issue.
During the coaching session they realize that we are the only persons that can give meaning to our lives by living it to the fullest. “Vivamus dum vivimus” is an old Epicurean advice. It means something like “let’s live our lives to the fullest as long as we are alive”.
If we taste the pleasure of contributing something to the happiness of our children, spouses, friends or community we can feel that our life is not meaningless.
3 answers
Peter Kirkwood asked 3 questions regarding Epicureanism and Stoicism on the Facebook discussion forum of the Epicurus page. I quote his questions with my answers:
1.Is Epicureanism, in fact, a closed system, and if it is, is this to its disadvantage?
My answer: Yes, it is a closed system of dogmatic philosophy and lifestyle and I see no disadvantage in this. Bertrand Russell in his History of Western Philosophy stated that the Epicureans “served a useful purpose by their protest against the increasing devotion of the later pagans to magic, astrology, and divination; but they remained, like their founder, dogmatic, limited, and without genuine interest in anything outside individual happiness. They learnt by heart the creed of Epicurus, and added nothing to it throughout the centuries during which the school survived.”
If you find a philosophy leading to happiness why should you change it or look further?
2.Further, to what extent do you think it is possible to disagree with historical Epicurean teaching and yet still realistically consider yourself “an Epicurean”?
My answer:I believe that if you accept and follow Epicurus’s core ethical teachings and practice them in your daily life you may call yourself an Epicurean, even if you disregard his physics and theology.
3.If you identify as an Epicurean, why do you do so in preference to, say, identifying as a Stoic, given that both traditions have effective techniques for achieving ataraxia/apatheia?
My answers:
Ataraxia does NOT equal apatheia – but this would be a topic for a new discussion.
Seneca and Marcus Aurelius borrowed generously from Epicurus and some of the psychagogical techniques and educational exercises of both schools were very similar, as pointed out by Hadot, Rabbow and others.
Besides the few similarities and the many important and very pertinent differences enumerated above by Bob we should also keep in mind that
- Stoicism changed a lot from Zeno’s materialism to Marcus Aurelius’s quasi-platonism
- Stoics never managed to make their determinism consistent with their belief in beneficent providence.
- Stoics never had anything like the Epicurean school-communities
- Stoics actively participated in power games whereas with Epicureans it was the exception
- Stoics always preached reason, virtue, and duty but seldom walked their own talk
- Stoicism was the philosophy of Greek aristocrats and Roman patricians whereas the followers of Epicurus were mostly higher middle class with no political ambitions.
In DeWitt’s words:” Epicureanism presented two fronts to the world, the one as repellent as the other was attractive. Its discouragement of the political career was repellent to the ambitious, its denial of divine providence to pious orthodoxy, and its hedonism to timorous respectability. Its candor, charity, courtesy, and friendliness were attractive to multitudes of the honest and unambitious folk.” (Epicurus and His Philosophy)
Unwittingly Epicurean advice from Alex Vonnegut
“My uncle Alex Vonnegut, a Harvard-educated life insurance salesman who lived at 5033 North Pennsylvania Street, taught me something very important. He said that when things were really going well we should be sure to notice it.
“He was talking about simple occasions, not great victories: maybe drinking lemonade on a hot afternoon in the shade, or smelling the aroma of a nearby bakery, or fishing and not caring if we catch anything or not, or hearing somebody all alone playing a piano really well in the house next door.
“Uncle Alex urged me to say this out loud during such epiphanies: ‘If this isn’t nice, what is?’ “
quoted from Kurt Vonnegut: Timequake, chapter 4, p. 14
Russell ignores Epicurus?
Bertrand Russell shows deep understanding of Epicuranism and Epicurus as a philosopher in his “History of Western Philosophy”.
Yet in “The Conquest of Happiness” – a wonderful litlle book of Epicurean inspiration – he ignores Epicurus almost totally. (He does NOT disparage him, though, as Epicurus did Nausiphanes.)
Does anybody have a clue why the basically Epicurean Russell ignored Epicurus in this work?
This is the question I have just ported on Facebook:
Unwittingly Epicurean
My hypothesis is that people are born as Epicureans but then they are re-educated. So we are all of us unwittingly Epicureans – basically.
Happier through the internet?
There is an interesting discussion on the EpicureanGroup on yahoo about whether access to the internet can make people happier.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EpicureanGroup/
I am sure that access to the internet significantly contributed to my personal happiness in more ways since it is via the internet that
- I could meet the most important person in my life
- I can keep in touch with my friends, relatives and clients
- I could read books online I could not find in my library or could not afford to buy in a bookstore
- I can follow lectures online whenever I feel like without having to overburden my schedule or budget
- I can learn about things I am interested in a group like this (I have learned a lot here from all of you)
- I can find and listen to music that gives me pleasure
I do not think that I am the only person to have experienced the above mentioned pleasure increasing effects of the internet.
Or am I wrong?
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