A sad Epicurean event

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There really are two Epicurean gardens in Greece, one in Athens and the other in Thessalonica.   I quote: The “Garden of Thessaloniki” was launched in November 2007 as a voluntary, participatory, informal  company of friends and fans of the teachings of Epicurus. Since then there have been countless meetings and open events, participations in national meetings and Panhellenic Symposia of Epicurean philosophy.

“The objectives of the “Garden of Thessaloniki” include

“a) the dissemination and the cultivation of the teachings of Epicurus.

“b) the highlighting of the importance of Greek Culture as a timeless, global, civilizing an enlightening factor for all mankind

”c) the study of the presence of Epicurean philosophy and Greek Culture in the continuous course of Hellenism in different historical phases.

“The activities of the “Garden of Thessaloniki” include:

“a) organized discussions among friends on a regular basis, with a predetermined subject and always in respect to the Epicurean philosophy,

”b) public events among friends, in which invited speakers develop relevant issues,

“c) social gatherings among friends and invited people in order to develop mutual ties, and to preserve and revitalize  The language, customs, mythology, history, and culture, etc.) of the whole (ancient and later) Greek Culture.”

An inspiring undertaking.  Unfortunately, the Garden was joined by a vocal group of people who were not in the least interested in Epicurus or philosophy.  They appear to have deliberately set out to disrupt the conversations, espousing what one Epicurean who attended described as Marxist political ideology. They asserted that there *should* be political Epicureans, invoking Marx and twisting the words of Epicurus to match that of the Platonists & Stoics.  They talked over the others in a rude and intolerant manner, demanding that the group should be “trying to save the World” and, when it was pointed out the Epicureanism is a study of nature, human and natural, not party politics, they were accused of “being against little children”.

The upshot of this invasion is that the Epicurean group has been bullied into disbanding.

One could argue that there should have been clear rules and a chairperson able , politely, to get rid of the intruders and persuade them to start their own group, if they wished.  However, this seems to me to be a sign of the times everywhere, not just Greece.  Bullies, right-wing thugs , extreme nationalists, and race-baiters are emerging all over the place, their politics crude and their ideas just about as distant from Epicureanism as you can get.  This is a wake- up call for good, thoughtful people to be wary and ready to defend themselves and their ideas.  

Epicureanism

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Epicureanism: the chief beliefs, not necessarily in order of importance:

  • equality of treatment and opportunity suggested by the actions of early Epicureans
  • courtesy to all, rich and poor, child and mother
  • politeness and consideration
  • tolerance
  • rejection of superstition, organised religion, man-made gods and “eternal suffering”.
  • compassion for immigrants, the oppressed and the sick
  • refusal to be fearful of death.
  • the power of friendship for the sake of friendship.
  • the importance of education that broadens the mind.
  • the ability to enter discussions with those who disagree with you, and put your points quietly. with a smile and without the current anger and foul language.
  • impatience and non- involvement with party politics maybe, but a belief that government should be for all the people, regardless of income and status and that oligarchy – or rule by rich cliques – should never prevail.
  • an interest in sciences and the physical universe (Epicurus was an atomist, and, along with Democritus, one of the ancient fathers of modern physics

Yes, you might have noticed that some of the above simply describe a “lady” or a “gentleman”.  Some say that these are outdated concepts.  If so, so much the worse for them and our modern world

(References include “The Epicurean Option”, by Professor Dane R. Gordon, professor of Philosophy, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY)

A brilliant Epicurean put-down

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Multimillionaire Donny Deutsch on Medicare For All:

“[My parents] worked really hard to put me in a position where
I can buy the kind of insurance I want… If I can’t buy it for
my children, we are going backwards. We’re fucking Denmark.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

To: Donny Deutsch
From: Djaffar Shalchi, Danish millionaire and founder, Human Act

Re: “F***ing Denmark”

Dear Mr. Deutsch,

I noticed with interest your comments regarding healthcare and wealth on Bill Maher’s show last week. It’s not often that my home country of “f***ing Denmark” gets compared to the United States, let alone so colorfully.   You said: “My grandfather was a cop, ok. My mother was a school teacher and they worked really hard to put me in a position where I can buy the kind of insurance I want . . . If I can’t buy it for my children, we are going backwards. We’re f***ing Denmark.”

Let’s set aside your choice to highlight the modest careers of your grandfather and your mother, while neglecting to mention your father’s success as the founder of a large advertising agency. I’m sure it was not your intention to misrepresent the privilege into which you were born. And good for you for appreciating how your takeover of your father’s business at age 32 (20 years after he founded it) did indeed put you in a position to buy the best insurance available. It is important, isn’t it, to give credit where credit is due.

Unfortunately, not everyone is born into such privilege. Forgive me if I misunderstood, but I interpreted your comments to suggest that you believe the unfortunate souls who were not “put,’ as you were, “in a position” are not entitled to quality health care coverage. I disagree with that notion, but luckily for you, the way that the United States has chosen to structure its health care system guarantees they will not receive it. Problem solved!

Now, back to “f***ing Denmark.” Given your comments, I can only believe that you have never set foot in my wonderful country, and are perhaps misinformed about our healthcare system. Please allow me to enlighten you.

In f***ing Denmark, we spend almost half as much per capita on healthcare as the United States. Despite our lower levels of spending, our life expectancy is higher, our infant mortality is lower, and our overall health is much better than the United States. In f***ing Denmark, we deliver high-quality, universal healthcare to each and every citizen, unlike the United States, which offers a for profit “consumer choice” system that leaves millions of your people “choosing” to be uninsured and hundreds of thousands of others “choosing” to be both insured and bankrupt.

You say that your family worked hard to put you in your position — so did mine. I was born in Iran in 1961. My family moved to f***ing Denmark when I was a child, after a series of rejected immigration applications, forced separations, and the turmoil in my birth country pushed my family to our limits. I finished my education here, married a beautiful Danish girl and had two amazing children, and built my fortune as a self-employed entrepreneur. I am now a multi-millionaire like you!

While your good fortune began with your father’s success, I credit my good fortune to f***ing Denmark and its robust, inclusive social system that values equality and opportunity for everyone. Unlike the United States, my country has embraced an advanced social tax system that requires people like me to pay substantial and increasingly “progressive” levels of tax. The people of f***ing Denmark use these funds to invest in the people of f***ing Denmark. Our tax revenues give everyone health care, education and a strong social support system, among other things.

And by the way, I never worry about buying the kind of care I want for my children, because f***ing Denmark gives it to them. Perhaps that is why, when one compares our two great nations, we find that Danes are much happier than Americans, and that our social mobility is markedly better than it is in the land of the “American dream.”

But don’t take my word for it (or rely on pesky facts that prove it), instead, come to f***ing Denmark and see for yourself a happy and healthy society, funded in part by hefty taxes on millionaires like you and me.

Consider this your official invitation to visit me in f***ing Denmark.
If you are available to travel to Copenhagen from December 8–10, you will also have the chance to meet a group of American millionaires who have a very different view of things than you do. The Patriotic Millionaires will be joining me to discuss setting up a global network of millionaires who want to include everyone in the bright future ahead. Like me, they are pleased to invest in programs that help everyone — our children, our children’s children, even someone else’s children.

Mr. Deutsch, please join us. I believe you could learn a lot from our discussion. Perhaps you will even find a way to use your immense privilege and national platform to help your country become just a bit more like f***ing Denmark.

Warm regards,     Djaffar Shalchi

My comment:  moderation, treating human being decently and equally, consideration for others – all part of the Epicurean way of life.  We need more Shalchis.

A drilling rig in the South China Sea

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Industry has always had a nasty habit of plundering the natural world “before science has understood its importance”, says Chris Packham. And that’s what’s happening right now on the ocean floor. We know more about the surface of Mars than about the deep seabed. On almost every mission “scientists discover new species”. Yet with almost no debate, a secretive new industry is drawing up plans to send gigantic bulldozers into the deepest parts of the ocean to mine for metals anminerals. It’s a terrible idea. Industrial fishing and pollution have already exacted a toll on this hidden world, but this will massively increase it. Not only will it be likely to cause irreversible damage to a unique ecosystem, it will also accelerate climate change by disturbing the processes that store carbon in deep-sea sediments. Over the next year, governments will be negotiating a UN treaty that could establish safeguards for the management of international waters. Let’s hope they reach a deal to stop the deep-sea mining industry. (Chris Packham, The Guardian 22 July 2019).

Moderation is the key word in the ideas of Epicurus.  After all these centuries        the greedy, insensitive and short-sighted still pursue money, power and exploitation ( of the planet and of their fellow human beings) without pause.  Moderate  democracy, however imperfect, has been the form of government most likely to restrain the obsessive money men. But deliberate decisions are being made to ignore the greater good and pander to the money men.  Every one of us should resist this – the greatest days of the societies, in the West at least, have been when moderate democracy has been alive and well.  Alas, it is fading.  We must not give up on it.

The Sunday roast

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  “It may be a long-lived and much-cherished tradition, but cooking a Sunday roast can produce air pollution worse than that found in the world’s most toxic cities.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder discovered that roasting meat and vegetables can result in dangerous airborne particles being released into your kitchen at levels more than 20 times higher than the World Health Organisation limit: 13 times higher than in central London on a congested day, and notably higher than the New Delhi average.

Conducted in a specially adapted house, the experiment was the first to use sensors able to detect the finest, and most dangerous, particulate matter, including PM2.5 particles (smaller than 2.5 micrometres across). Small enough to be inhaled deep into the lungs, PM2.5s are implicated in 29,000 premature deaths each year in the UK. Simulating a busy cooking day, such as Christmas Day, Professor Marina Vance’s team found that particles stayed at levels above the WHO maximum for more than eight hours. The solution? Open windows, turn on extractor fans and avoid using a very hot oven, because of the charring. The team also found that frying food raises pollution to dangerous levels.  (Daily Telegraph and The Week, 2 Mar 2019).

My mother used to make spectacular and tasty Yorkshire pudding, but then she was a Yorkshirewoman.  Since then, worried particularly about particulates in the air,  I have stopped eating beef and pork along with Yorkshire pudding,  and breathe only three times a minute to prevent air pollution.  (For the serious philosophers among the readers: this is a joke. Just thought I would point it out).

I am passionately concerned about the environment and the world my grandchildren will inherit.  All the same, you can’t read a news item that isn’t pointing out how bad for us everything we do is for our health and the planet.  Gets a bit depressing.  Anyway, eat more fruit.