Epicurean philosophy: Pleasure is the highest criterion of human behavior.

Many philosophers believe that experiencing pleasure and happiness means indulging in physical desires and overindulging. However, Epicurus believes that pleasure can also be found in a simple life.

Epicurus's Way of Life

To experience tranquility, Epicurus suggests that we first understand how the world evokes and limits our desires. He believes that pleasure can be obtained in the following ways:

1. Knowledge
2. Friendship
3. Community
4. Living a good life
5. Living a moderate life
6. All things
7. Abstaining from bodily desires

Although Epicurus states that we have the motivation to seek pleasure, he has a distinctly different view on what daily life should look like. Epicurus's perspective advocates what is known as "tranquil hedonism."

From a philosophical perspective, the term "hedonism" refers to the idea that pleasure is the most important pursuit of humanity and the source of all good.

Those considered hedonists are those who put their lives into practice to obtain the greatest pleasure. Their decisions and actions are aimed at experiencing pleasure. He also emphasizes that when we consider whether an action is pleasurable, we must also take into account the side effects it brings. In pursuing fleeting pleasure, we must also consider whether it is possible to achieve greater, more lasting, and more intense pleasure.

Epicurus's Beliefs

In the process of achieving happiness, Epicurus reflected on pleasure, desire, lifestyle, and other aspects. He believes that happiness should consist of these three aspects.

1. Tranquility
2. Freedom from fear (ataraxia)
3. Absence of bodily pain (aponia)

Integrating these factors ultimately allows people to experience pleasure at the highest level. However, we should also distinguish between different pleasures. Eliminating the fear of gods and death, moderating desires, staying away from politics, and prudently measuring and weighing pleasure against pain to achieve physical health and mental tranquility—this is the purpose of life.

Pleasure and Pain

Epicurus believes that the ways to bring happiness can be categorized as dynamic and static, with two aspects influencing pleasure and pain being physiological and psychological.

Dynamic pleasure refers to actively being in the process of satisfying desires. An example of this is eating when you feel hungry. In those moments, we are taking action towards our anticipated pleasurable goal.

Static pleasure refers to the experience of our desires once they are satisfied. Taking the previous example of eating when hungry, once we eat, we feel static pleasure. The feeling of being full and no longer needing (the satisfaction of hunger) is a form of static enjoyment.

Epicurus believes that static pleasure is the preferred way of experiencing pleasure. He also believes that physical pleasure and pain are related to the present, while mental pleasure and pain are related to the past and future.

He believes that past pleasures are determinants of present actions. Any action that immediately leads to pleasure leaves a good impression and recurs, while any action that immediately leads to pain leaves a bad impression and is suppressed. Current hedonism advocates that present pleasure is the highest criterion of human behavior, and the purpose of human actions is to seek current pleasure or to escape present pain.

Desire

Epicurus proposed three types of desires:

1. Natural and necessary desires: For example, food and shelter. These are easier to satisfy and difficult or impossible to eliminate from our lives.
2. Natural and unnecessary desires: This refers to gourmet food and luxury items. They represent things that are difficult to satisfy and may ultimately lead us to feel pain due to unfulfilled desires. Epicurus suggests that it is best to minimize or completely eliminate this desire in pursuit of tranquility.
3. Vain and empty desires: For example, power, status, wealth, or fame. These are things that are difficult to obtain or achieve and are unlikely to satisfy. He believes that because these desires have no limits, they can never be fully satisfied or bring pleasure. Therefore, we should not strive to fulfill these desires to help ourselves achieve greater happiness and pleasure.

Friendship

Modern civilization tends to emphasize the concept of individualistic living, but Epicurus believes that friendship is one of the best ways to obtain happiness; connecting with friends can provide a sense of security, while a lack of connection can lead to isolation, despair, and danger.

In Epicurus's view, courage is also a highly regarded virtue. Regarding friendship, he even suggests that a person should bravely give their life for their friends.

The Concept of Treating Unhappiness

Epicurus created a method known as the four-part treatment for unhappiness. The term "tetrapharmakos" refers to the four-part treatment or four-part remedy. This term originally meant that medical antidotes or therapeutic drugs could serve as a means to treat diseases.

The Four-Part Treatment for Unhappiness:

• God is not to be feared
• Death is not to be worried about
• Good things in life are easily obtained
• Terrible things are easily endured

Epicurus does not believe that pain can be completely avoided. However, he does indicate that pain can be endured, and we can even strive to experience pleasure amidst emotional or physical pain.

Epicurus said, "Meditate on these day and night, and with those related to them, whether alone or with people like you, you will not be seriously disturbed, whether awake or dreaming."

He emphasizes focusing on these statements to challenge fears, reframe thoughts, and gain new perspectives to continue seeking happiness and peace. Epicurus also suggests doing this meditation with like-minded individuals.

Application in Modern Life

Life is uncertain, and we can never completely avoid pain or misfortune. In experiencing life, actively seeking peace, happiness, and a sense of tranquility is also a desire-driven pursuit; to live more positively, we can integrate Epicurus's beliefs into our lifestyle and personal decisions.

A common process in the ideas described and outlined by Epicurus is—personal choice. We cannot avoid pain and fear, but we can choose whether or not to maintain pain and fear.

This means we organize our living environment, freeing ourselves from the expectations of others, stopping the reliance of our happiness on status, wealth, or fame, and reconstructing our beliefs.

1. Minimalism

Some people believe that a tranquil and moderate life is more easily recognized as minimalism in contemporary times. Minimalism refers to experiencing greater peace and freedom by reducing the things around us. Getting rid of unnecessary things can help people reduce fear, worry, regret, and expectations.

Minimalism is a tool for shedding the excesses of life, conducive to focusing on what is important - you can find happiness, satisfaction, and freedom.” As Epicurus proposed, one element of happiness is "atheism," which means freedom from fear or worry. He suggests that to be happy, we must distance ourselves from external things.

A minimalist lifestyle provides a typical example of a modern Epicurean way of life.

2. Reshaping Thoughts

When people ask us, "What does happiness look like?" we can easily associate it with financial freedom, appearance, specific things (like cars, houses), vacations, time spent with friends or family, a stable job, and so on.

Throughout our lives, we understand the world around us by observing and attributing meaning to what we observe. Part of the factors of happiness relates to objects, people, and environments - external things can change at any time, causing us pain or making us desire more.

To follow Epicurus's way of life, we not only need to organize our physical space but also change our existing concepts of happiness, the meaning of pleasure, and how to obtain pleasure through our decisions and actions.

3. Finding and Focusing on Positivity

There are many ways to practice optimistic and hopeful thinking and existence. When you consider the sources of your happiness, values, and your strengths to help you meet your desires and needs, you may find unique ways to express positivity in your life.

• Finding positivity in negative situations
• Getting rid of sources of negativity in your life
• Practicing gratitude
• Cultivating a positive environment
• Having a positive attitude
• Positive self-affirmation
• Practicing mindfulness and meditation
• Slowing down the pace of life
• Facing negative thoughts correctly
• Learning to handle criticism
• Keeping a positive journal

Maintaining a Balanced Perspective

When reflecting on personal views and Epicurus's views on happiness, it may be interesting to contemplate some thoughts and quotes related to Epicurus. You may have heard or read these before, but they certainly can inspire personal reflection on living a balanced life:

• “Do not ruin what you have by desiring what you do not have; what you now have was once among the things you hoped for.”
• “A person who is not satisfied with a little will not be satisfied with anything.”
• “Among all the ways to ensure happiness in life, the most important is to gain friends.”
• “You cannot develop your courage in friendly relationships. You need to go through difficult and adverse times to develop it.”
• Therefore, “we must pursue the things that bring happiness, seeing that when happiness exists, we have everything; but when it is absent, we will do everything we can to have happiness.”
• “To taste the rich pleasures of life, one must remain moderate.”

Conclusion:

Considering that life can continuously present us with challenges and adventures, the concept of eternal happiness seems somewhat unrealistic. However, we can seek perspectives of joy and comfort when facing challenges.

Find sources of information and inspiration that relate to you, your beliefs, desires, and purposes. Give yourself the opportunity to discover what happiness is and how we can achieve it in life.

Take some time to examine the different practices you can adopt in your daily life that can lead to greater joy and freedom. Look for what suits you, whether you are using Epicurus's ideas or other different strategies to find happiness.