My mom recently recommended this three part video on the Greek philosopher Epicurus. The film presents Epicurus' philosophy of happiness and freedom from suffering, want, and anxiety, applied to the present day problems of consumerism, compulsive shopping, debt, and restlessness, reflected in the life of a young British hairstylist.
Ironically I had this conversation with my mom on my cell phone while driving to a mall. (Much of the film is shot in a mall- there and in the guy's bedroom by his closet full of clothes, some of which he's never worn).
I was going to the mall to buy a copy of Henri Nouwen's The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society, on my way to get an MRI of my knee. This is a bit ironic too, but I will refrain from taking the side trip, tempting as it is.
One of the things that Epicurus spoke and wrote about (although nearly all of his writings have been lost) was the importance of living what he referred to as "an analyzed life" in order to be happy. By "analyzed life" he seemed to mean a life that allows ample time for reflection and purposefulness.
Most, if not all, of his philosophy resonates with what I have discovered in trying to create, since being diagnosed with breast cancer, a life that is truly worth living.
Sometimes the food we really need is food for thought.
Epicurus On Happiness 1 Epicurus On Happiness 2 Epicurus On Happiness 3
