This post is going up on Halloween. So happy Halloween to all who celebrate.
And if you’re catching this post the day after Halloween, then a blessed All Saints Day to you.
One thing that seems to be ingrained in us, part of our DNA, is a desire to inflict pain. And if we aren’t inflicting it, we love to watch someone else or something else dishing out pain to another.
I think that’s why the small screen, the big screen, and video games have become so violent. It is our love of dishing out copious amounts of pain to others. We love doing it and we love watching it.
Our indifference to others who are suffering is part of this human trait to inflict pain and suffering. It’s the flip side of the coin, so to speak.
Over on the Threads that Bind blog, I posted an article describing several rather nasty methods of torture. Torture being nothing more than our desire to inflict pain taken to the next level. Take a look at the link below:
The article makes for good Halloween reading and could be a resource for writers.
Epicurus believed eudaimonia (the good life, a life of well-being, a life of living and doing well) was a life of continuous pleasurable experiences that was free from pain and distress.
In other words, according to Epicurus, reducing or eliminating all pain and distress from our lives goes a long way to our achieving that ultimate state of pleasure which is the good life.
And isn’t that what we seek each and every day? The absence of pain? Of course it is.
We take painkillers; over-the-counter and prescription.
We might use illegal drugs to kill pain and induce a temporary state of euphoria.
We buy things to give ourselves to lift our spirits.
We may even inflict pain on others because we get a little high watching them suffer.
Where people get Epicurus wrong is that they miss his point that virtue is an intrinsic part of achieving the state of happiness, which is a life of pleasure and an absence of pain. For Epicurus, pleasure is only good if it doesn’t bring about any pain.
For that reason, he didn’t advocate marriage or having children because both too often bring pain into a persons life. The same with having sex. It isn’t bad, it just results too often in pain. So it’s best to avoid it.
I believe Epicureanism is a fitting philosophy for Western first world people seeking meaning and purpose in life. It fits well with our sensibilities. We want lives free from pain and filled with pleasure. Epicurus shows how to get the good pleasure that never produces pain.
A pursuit of Epicurean pleasure might also eliminate, or at least diminish, our love of inflicting pain on others. And that just might make this world a little better. Who wouldn’t want that?
Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!
CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.
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Well, if everyone followed this philosophy (no marriage, no children, no sex), this generation would be the last. I, for one, would be sad, since I just had my first grandbaby, and want all the love in the world for him, including when he grows up and finds the love of his life. But, for those who think humans are the worst sort, and should not exist, then this is for them.
Well, Epicurus didn’t say you couldn’t or even shouldn’t marry, for example. He simply pointed out it may not be the best course of action to bring pleasure into your life. The same with children. He was pointing those things out to avoid the sensual hedonism that Epicureanism often gets saddled with. And there was the his belief that sometimes we must endure pain in the short term for lasting pleasure in the long term.
So I don’t think Epicureanism is for people who think people are bad. Because those folks aren’t happy and don’t live a life filled with pleasure. Epicurus, as most Ancient Greek philosophers, sought a middle way. So when he advocated the good life with a life of pleasure, he didn’t want people engaging in sensual debauchery. For him, true pleasure was intellectual not emotional.
Hope that helps a bit to clarify his position.
And thanks for stopping by, JoAnn!