Applying The Epicurean Worldview
The happiest life possible to us cannot be obtained without effort. It is necessary to study nature and use our minds to understand that we need not live forever in order to live a full and complete life. We cannot be confident that we will not be punished after death, or that Fate does not hold us in its grip, or that the claims of absolute right and wrong and absolute virtue - the claim that all men should live exactly the same way and follow the same rules – unless we understand the nature of the universe. And we cannot successfully navigate the problems of life, or attain our happiest times, unless we have like-minded friends with whom to work in our pursuit of the best life. Epicurus taught that we cannot hope to attain the goal of living as “a god among men” without continued study and engagement in the study of nature, so it is necessary for us to work throughout our lives to understand the truths of the universe, for which the Epicureans believed the teachings of Epicurus himself were the best guide. We do not always need to remember the details, but we need to always be able to recall to memory the core elements of the Epicurean worldview.