@2PMagreement211:
'If I take away the pleasures of taste, if I take away sexual pleasure, if I take away the pleasure of hearing, and if I take away the sweet emotions that are caused by the sight of beautiful forms.'
From Epicurus' literature. Epicurus found the basic elements of happiness from pleasures.
This may make Epicurus seem heterogenic who is a greedy philosopher that is blinded by the pleasures. However, Epicurus was a trifle person who preferred small parties and sharing stories with friends over a small piece of cheese and felt happiness from it. This shows that the range of pleasures are high or low and thus they can be seen as the basic outline of happiness in different forms. Now, Epicurus suggests 3 elements of happiness in this book. Friendship, freedom and thinking are the three. In this book, friendship is described as this; "True friends do not evaluate us according to worldly criteria, it is the core self they are interested in." Wouldn't we be able to feel happiness simply by sharing stories over a drink with thes friends? "Epicurus, discerning our underlying need, recognized that a handful of true friends could deliver the love and respect that even a fortune may not." Please do not be mistaken that this does not mean that people with big fortunes do not have true friends. And for freedom; "they had ceased to judge themselves on a material basis." That is how Epicurus and his friends were able to earn freedom. Freedom is subordinate to those who confine themselves. It would be great if the materialistic richness was possible but it should not be the standard to make judgements on people's values. If we are able to change ourselves first, wouldn't we be freer than the past? On thought; "There are few better remedies for anxiety than thought. In writing a problem down or airing it in conversation we let its essential aspects emerge." I think that when we share and talk about the elements that create our anxiety with ourselves or someone else, it becomes clearer and can be resolved faster with new view points on the matter. I believe that thinking is a conversation with one's own self as well as an important element to developing our thoughts. So I've written down some things by referring back to the book. If I come up with other thoughts through other books or experiences I'll write them down once in a while..^^
@2PMagreement211:
We would not be happy with the vehicle on the left but no friends; with a villa but no freedom; with linen sheets but too much anxiety to sleep. So long as essential non-material needs are unattended, the line on the graph of happiness will remain stubbornly low."
From Alain de Botton's 'The Consolations of Philosophy'
Credit: 2pmalways
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