The Things We Desire #081
The Epicurean path to happiness
Epicurus and the Path to Happiness
Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus asks, "How can we become happy?" His idea is that we need to reduce our dependence on things that we cannot have because not having something is what makes you unhappy. So how do you reduce your dependence on things that are difficult to get? He says we can just simplify our lives by looking at what is natural and what is something we really need, rather than looking for things that only society wants us to have or that society teaches us to go after.
Distinguishing Desires
He distinguishes different kinds of desires and says there are natural desires and necessary desires which we need to fulfill in order to survive. But then there are also many desires that are neither necessary nor natural. For example, the desire for a bigger house or the desire for a car is not necessary and not natural. So we should concentrate on these desires that are necessary like food, drink, friendship, perhaps, or that are natural—the desire for a partner, the desire for beauty, but beauty of nature, not the beauty of something expensive that I have to buy.
Focusing on Natural Desires
By focusing on natural desires, my desire for food can be fulfilled beautifully by eating something simple, something natural—a few olives, some fruit, a sweet fruit that will make me feel nice and I will enjoy it. The point of Epicureanism is not to suffer; it is to become happy naturally by utilizing things that nature gives me, but not by striving endlessly for things that I cannot have.
Applying Epicurean Principles
So we can do this in our own lives. We can look around and ask, "Where am I always chasing after things that are difficult to have?" And if Epicurus says we should let go of them and we should replace them by things that we can have without putting in so much effort.
