Posts by Marco

I looked for the house where the mosaics were found. Next to it is now a private garden: 'Le Jardin'.

Today I visited the Epicurean mosaics in Autun - France at the Rolin museum. It feels very close to Epicurus and Metrodorus.

The best way that I find to understand the teachings of Epicurus is to try to live them.

And then evaluate the effects in terms of enjoying your life.

Charles, I'm from Belgium, speaking Dutch. Can I read the text?

I would be very careful with Cicero here. You can reason yourself into a swamp, I think of Zeno and his riddles. Trust your senses, even with friendship and pleasure, but stay careful.

‘So much does religion have the power to persuade to evil deeds.‘

Lucretius.

There are so many deer around me staring frozen into the lights…

You would still think that you are not normal.

About depression:

‘…Nor can one live wisely, honorably, and justly without living pleasantly..’. PD 5

So, someone who is depressed should ask himself: ‘Where was I not living wisely/prudently, not honorably or not justly’ and change that.

The reason of feelings like pain in the heart is Takotsubo cardiomyopathie.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takotsubo_cardiomyopathy

The story of the farmer with his son and the broken leg is from Zhuang Zi (Taoism).

FYI, for readers from Europe. In Autun, France, in 1990 a kèpos was found with two Epicurean mosaics, with the Sententia Vatican 14 and Kuria Doxa 5.

If corona allows, I try to visit it in the spring. Here is an English text about the location.

The Mosaic of the Greek Philosophers in Autun - Mosaic Blues

The mosaic of the Greek Philosophers decorated the floor of a wealthy Galllo Roman villa of Augustodunum, capital of the Edui Gallic tribe.

mosaic-blues.com

Googel translate:

Almost all people I know find satisfaction of a desire after a while.

Except for my friends who fall heavily in love or who have a desire for even more money. That is also what Epicurus says, there is a limit to pleasure.

In clinical situations, there will be people who become heavily addicted, but those are the exceptions who go to a doctor.

As Elaine states in her overview:

7. It is possible to enjoy life fully, and to be satisfied after attaining a desire. Desire is not fundamentally insatiable. There is no good reason to try and eliminate desires.

8. If a desire appears to be insatiable, it is likely because a person is otherwise unhappy or because the desire is for something impossible.

9. When a person is focused on an impossible desire, such as to live forever, the poor fit of substitute pleasures makes them feel their ordinary desires are insatiable.

I can't find anything about ‘essentialism’ in the website. Is it a term that is not used in English, but is used in French? Do people use ‘idealism’ in English?

A year full of pleasure with no pain.

Be prudent.

This is such a beautiful video, well made. He needs more translations, into French, Spanish…I am starting a Dutch translation. It will be my next work.

Is there an original English text I can work with?

Cassius' five pointed stars could be used as themes.

Years ago I had the book of the Daily Stoic. After a few weeks, I stopped using it because the topics on that day don't match what was happening in my life. A ‘daily epicurean’ is a good idea, but I would then bundle the topics around themes. This way it becomes a reference book that you can use when something happens in your life. I am thinking of themes such as spring, pleasure, friends, the death of a loved one, romantic love, coincidence, the universe. If something happens about the theme of the universe (James Webb) you can read it. Even if it happens at a different time of the year.

Googel translate.

The ‘Personal Outlines of Epicurean Philosophy’ are also worth looking at.

Happy Holidays, I’m glad I found this group. Learning a lot.

Welcome. My daily practice is listening to the Lucretius podcasts and taking some notes. I learned a lot.