THE PHILOSO-FILES:
Are you epi-curious?

November 5, 2009 by Leslie Ventura 

Explaining Epicurean philosophy through classic songs

I simply can’t wake up in the morning. As soon as the alarm buzzes, a series of aches and pains shoot through my body and mind. No time to hit snooze today, I have 30 minutes to get ready for school.

A 10-minute shower, a bowl of cereal and one cup of coffee later, I wonder how I’ve been able to navigate through my house.
Are my eyes even open?

I arrive at school and walk from the Student Union to the CBC, squinting to keep the sunlight out. My sleepwalking daze serves as the nine-minute snooze I missed this morning.

These are the times I need to revisit my notes on Epicurus. Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher who dates back to the 300 B.C… blah blah blah. Epicurus’ ideas stressed living life without anxiety, stress or pain.

Lately, it feels like that’s all my life consists of. I know I’m not the only one with non-stop due dates, exams and work, so I figured I would discuss some things we can all learn from Epicurus.

Often deemed immoral for his rejection of contemporary values, many readers of Epicurean philosophy don’t understand what Epicurus meant by his ideas, which were meant to show how to live life cheerfully, pleasantly and most importantly, with confidence. Maybe because they are considered existential philosophy, people might be cautious to apply his ideas, but stressed out students might find this philosophy applicable to their own lives.

Epicurean philosophy is based on four main principles: don’t be afraid of God, don’t be afraid of death, what you need is easy to get and what is bad isn’t that bad. He doesn’t actually put it that way.

But it’s even simpler than that. I like to think Epicurean philosophy can be summed up into these four songs:

“Don’t Fear the Reaper”
Yes, the classic Blue Oyster Cult hit from the 70s. Who knew that these guys were Epicureans? Epicurus didn’t argue against the existence of the gods, he argued that they were too busy to be involved with mere mortals. Surely this sounds blasphemous to some, but not me or BOC.

“Dust in the Wind”
Kansas explained Epicurean principles to drunk bikers in dive bars all over the world.
You can’t fear death while you’re alive because it will just hinder your ability to enjoy it. And, you really can’t worry about death because when you are dead, well, you’re dead… all we are is dust in the wind, man.

“You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
One of my personal favorites, perhaps The Rolling Stones learned a lesson from Epicurus while recording “Let it Bleed.” As the song goes, “you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you get what you need.” Epicurus would agree and say that life isn’t about the material things. No matter how many things you accumulate, you will always want more and this is a cause of stress and anxiety. Instead, focus on the things you need like food and shelter.

“If It Makes You Happy (It Can’t Be That Bad)”
Before Sheryl Crow did an awful rendition of “The First Cut is the Deepest,” she wrote a cool song that mentioned how she likes to get stoned. And while Epicurus may not have advocated smoking to forget your problems, he would agree, they just really aren’t that bad.
All these songs exemplify the four principles of Epicurean philosophy, but Epicurus’ teachings span through hundreds of years of literature with philosophers dedicating their entire lives’ work to him.

Epicurean philosophy focuses on enabling oneself to live without anxiety, the root of all suffering.

By taking the time to study his philosophy, we can enjoy life without everyday troubles getting in the way – but if reading books on ancient philosophy is Greek to you, just remember these four songs.

While Epicurus might strike a “chord” with a lot of people, we learn that by abandoning societal conventions, we also abandon the anxiety and stress of living up to them.

THE PHILOSO-PHILES is an effort to bring philosophical theories and perspectives into everyday student life.