The teachings of Epicurus

Avoid upsetting and offending people, and take no part in the activities of the polis (body politic).

Comment: Epicurus and his friends stayed in their famous Garden (which survived in Athens for nearly six hundred years) and refused to become involved in politics. Today we may not agree with this. In fact, to many it seems a total cop-out that allows bad players free rein to undermine society, without reasoned opposition. We can take a measured part in the community and also create our own types of “Garden” with our friends, nurturing and protecting our values, being good citizens, putting forward well-researched arguments. As for avoiding giving offence, that is a no-brainer; Epicureans should always be kind, courteous and listen to others with respect.

One Comment

  1. Re-reading this I can’t help feeling how hard it is to respect those whose views seldom seem to be based on fact, just emotion. And ideology. Still, nothing is gained by making divisions in society even worse than they are, so effort has to be made.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.