Comments on: 04-11-30

By: Ellie K

Ellie K — Fri, 07 May 2010 02:41:55 +0000

This is not meant to be a downer, as I am basically in the camp of the skeptics on this.

However, this altered my point-of-view: I lost my 43-year old husband and then my father within a one-year interval. One was a Southern Methodist with evangelical tendencies (think “Praise the Lord!” PTL TV network, one of his favorite stations) and the other was raised in a conservative Jewish home. Though I remain in serious doubt about theism for myself, the loss of my two most loved ones in this world makes me hope that that one sits at the right side of Jesus, and the other goes wherever good Jews go when they depart this world.

Better yet, my husband and my father seemed to get along reasonably well, it would ease my heartache if they were both in the Elyssian Fields, where Epicurus has been all along, enjoying eternal ataraxia.

Paraphrasing the article above, Epicurus says that

the fact that “death is nothing to us,” does not prevent us from recollecting with fondness pleasant memories of our loved ones. In fact, looking back allows us to edit out past painful experiences by simply choosing not to recall them.

That is merely glib. Being deprived of the company of our loved ones is a sorrow that goes on and on. I only wish I had the same expectations as those whose belief systems include an afterlife.

By: bettye smith

bettye smith — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 05:15:09 +0000

Richard, you are ruminating. Live in the now. If all else fails, surf.

By: Richard M. Loften

Richard M. Loften — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:42:40 +0000

This is all well and good and I think I understand it. It does seem to me however, that this means life really has no purpose and therefore simply silly. it seems that it would have been better to never have been born and have to suffer some of the many bad things that we do. Wouldn’t it have been better not to have experienced crying and hurt I if had my choice, which I didn’t, I would have chosen not to be born.

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:56:04 +0000

This is a wonderful article about the philosophy of Epicurus and his attitude to death. I shall have to read more about the teachings of this great philosopher. For a long time after my mother’s death I could not accept the reality of my own inevitable demise, but now I am much more accepting of it.
I think the secret is to find peace in the present moment, and if that is the foundation of Epicurus’ teaching then it must work. Also, I now see fear of death as basically irrational, because it can’t be any different to not being born. Were we afraid of not being around before we were born? Of course not. So what is there to be afraid of after we die?