Epicurus believed that we should always be happy. In order to fulfill this impossibly happy state, we have to be self-sufficent, surrounded by friends and live fearless of pain, death and the gods. We came to the conclusion that Epicurus emphasized getting control of your mind. Basically, he argued that if you accept it, you no longer live in fear of it. If we can get control of that we have the capability of always being happy. Epicurus also said, "We must exercise ourselves in the things which bring happiness; since if that be present, we have everything, and, if that be absent, all our actions are directed toward attaining it." Do what makes you happy. If you don't you will never be satisfied until it happens. We also took this statement as an emphasis on "living in the moment."
Questions are:
(factual followed by discussion)
1. Epicurus believed there were gods out in the universe somewhere. Why did he tell us not to fear them?
2. Do you believe that today's younger generation is following Epicurus's idea of living in the moment/doing the things that bring us the most happiness or are they pre-meditating on the future?
1. Epicurus told us not to fear the gods because he believed the gods did not pay us any attention and they could careless about what we are doing.
ReplyDelete2. In our generation, I do believe we are living in the moment. For a steep majority of us, we spend our time socializing and having fun instead of studying for the test we have next week. We mainly just cram and take life "day by day." Truth be told, we do want to get our degree and have a great career but our mindset is, "It's not here yet," or "I can do it later." We have always lived in the moment. We have also do everything that makes us happy. If we become uninterested in anything, we immediately pull out our phones and begin texting, checking our facebooks and/or playing games we have downloaded. We also spend large amounts of money on our happiness. I spent $1300 on my MacBook Pro that I am using to type up this blog. But you will have to pry it from my cold, dead hands because it is the best thing I have ever invested my money in and it has brought me so much joy since day one (by the way, I named it Eva...like the pretty robot from Wallie :D). Same thing with my iPod and my Beats. My car and my phone will make me happy when I trade both in for a Scion or newer Honda and an iPhone. I'm also happy when I play or listen to music and I do it all the time. I like to laugh so I watch Gabriel Iglesias, Lewis Black and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.
ELIZABETHJan 24, 2012 07:56 PM
ReplyDelete1-24-2012
Elizabeth Barnard
1. (Fact Question) What was the name of Epicurus’s school for men and women of various social stations and at least one slave? (ANSWER) “The Garden”.
2. (Discussion Question) How do you define an empty space as self-existent? (ANSWER) Empty space cannot itself act or be acted upon, but simply allows body to move through it.
1. I think he encouraged us not to fear them because he was convinced that they did not care about matters pertaining to our earth.
ReplyDelete2. I think that our generation, and the generations following us for that matter, are simply living for the moment. It's all about now, instant gratification. I think a lot of it has to do with age and the social scenarios you face on a daily basis. Of course, you inevitably have control over your life, so I believe that it is still very possible to "live for the future," even at an early age. I also believe that there are many people who are involved and aware and who have deep, meaningful concerns for the future. Ultimately, I believe in doing what ever makes you the happiest, and for me it's a mixture of both. I think it is all about the mindset and what you wish to achieve. I like to enjoy each day to its fullest potential, but that doesn't mean I will do things I think I may later regret to get there. Living for the moment can be a good thing, but I think a lot of people lack the self control to do it the "right way." But hey, apparently doing nothing with your life and living for the moment gets you somewhere, ask all the reality tv stars of MTV!!! aka Jersey Shore and Teen Mom.
1. Epicurus felt like the humans should have free will and be capable to focus on the individual moment. This kind of focus brings peace of mind rather than fear. He felt like focusing on the moment was less problematic because humans were not worried about being improperly judged by the gods.
ReplyDelete2. I believe today’s younger generation is taught to focus on their future at an early age. It may take a while, but it is something that has been imprinted from teachers all throughout school. I think that young people are more vulnerable to “The fool’s prosperity”. This makes it difficult “Keeping in view our perceptions and feelings”. With such a diverse world young people focus more on the moment because the future is not as easy to grasp. It takes a lot more time, knowledge, and willingness.
1. Epicurus dismissed the fear of gods by saying that they simply were unconcerned with us.
ReplyDelete2.I feel our generation is a definite mixture of the two mindsets. I sway way more to the premeditating side just because of my raising. I was taught that for every choice there is a consequence, either positive or negative. I am trying to live more in the moment and simply not worry as much. Especially being in college now there is so much going on that I would drive myself to insanity if I tryed to plan everything. I just have to roll with the punches now.
*On a side note I want to quote our text "So we must exercise ourselves in the things which bring us happiness, since, if that be present, we have everything, and, if that be absent, all our actions are directed toward attaining it."
I could not agree with this more. Even if we are not happy in going to class everyday, we are going to school to help improve our life in the future. We hope to get a job and live a comfortable life so that we can be happy.
Questions on Zoroastrianism:
Factual: Who did Zoroaster direct his worship to? (Ahura Mazda)
Discussion: Do you believe that if there is a god(s) that they allow suffering for positive reasons later on? Or do you think that the good and bad of the world just comes with no long term reasoning behind it?
1. Epicurus believed that we should not fear the gods because they were unconcerned with what was happening on earth and more concerned with their own affairs.
ReplyDelete2.I agree with Kelsey on this one that our generation is definitely a mixture of the two. In today's society It seems they are against living in the moment because our entire lives are based on the future. For example, as a child you go to kindergarten so that you can go to elementary school. The reason we go to elementary school is so that we can go to middle school. We go to middle school so that we can go to high school. We go to high school and make good grades so that we can get into a college. We go to college in hopes of it will land us a better job. We are all forced to look ahead to the future especially in today's time.
Next class questions:
1. What name were zoroastrians sometimes called? (fireworshippers)
2. Why do you think so much pain and suffering is allowed on this Earth? Do you think this force is a part of nature?