Part 1

Part 1. Choose a length of time (minimum of three days). For that time, more than anything else, prioritize achieving static pleasure. The main way is to avoid what causes you pain, including what causes you mental and emotional pain. And the main way to do that is to exercise wisdom as the Epicureans conceive of it—that is, to regulate your desires, eliminating all unnecessary desires (or unnecessary desires that are difficult to satisfy). Recall that a desire is unnecessary if it is possible for a person not to satisfy it and not feel pain. Recall, too, that all unnatural desires—desires that we have not simply in virtue of being human animals, but rather in virtue of social pressures—are unnecessary. It is possible not to satisfy them and not feel pain. Of course, you might have many desires that, at this point in time, are not possible for you not to satisfy without feeling pain, but nonetheless it really is possible (for someone, for you at a later point in time) not to satisfy them and not feel pain. Rightly considered, these are unnecessary desires. Your task is to get rid of them. More specifically, your task is to not desire things that require unwelcome toil to satisfy, especially not things that cause you to experience more pain in trying to get them than the pleasure you get from eventually succeeding in getting them, and definitely not things that actually give you pain when you get them. Important: living like this does not necessarily require abstaining from any activities. It is possible to pursue something and even to welcome it something when it happens to be there, all the while without desiring it—without desiring it in the way that, if you do not get it, causes you pain.

It’s definitely possible to get rid of unnecessary desires, but I don’t think it’s the best way to live. Maybe I’m approacing it wrong, but it feels bland. There’s so much excitement and joy to be had when you are risking feeling disappointed. Gambling with fake money is hardly any fun–what’s there to win if there’s nothing to lose?

I think that taking this route leads to a more peaceful and opportunistic life. You can do things, but it doesn’t feel like there’s a ton of motivation behind anything. It’s just up to you. I get the same feeling playing minecraft on creative mode. You can get so much done, but it ends up that I don’t really do much of anything. I don’t feel driven.

Going from my current life to a life where I don’t have desires but rather have those (kinda) fruitless pursuits is challenging. The easiest way I see to get there is by taking a little hiatus to disconnect, abandoning your responsibilities and social circles explicably, taking whatever pain there may be with that all at once, and restarting again. We are so deeply entrenched in our habits and our lives that it is extremely difficult if not impossible to get out of it without any pain, so I am of the opinion that ripping the bandaid off is the easiest or rather simplest method. It’s also a bit easier to go and get everything back if you throw it all away at once. There isn’t so much of a mess of explanations and rationalizing and changes of opinion.

I think relationships are worthwhile. Serious, long term friendships or romantic relationships are worth putting your heart into. The epicurean ideal to me seems a little non-commital and robs some of what makes those relationships really special.

Pleasure is not the good. I think that avoiding pain is ridiculous. Some stress is necessary, finding the right amount is very challenging. Pain, stress, and fear are all welcome. I try to avoid wallowing in it, but I also don’t really run from it. I think feeling pain and really observing it, listening to it, is extremely informative. Just wishing it to be over or avoiding touching painful things won’t be effective. There was a line in the instructions which I think mirrors this idea: It is possible to pursue something and even to welcome it something when it happens to be there, all the while without desiring it. Maybe what I’m really explaining is that it’s possible to be in a situation which would otherwise cause you pain and instead just be there in acceptance with it.

Overall, I think static pleasure is one of the best things to pursue, but if it’s the only thing you are pursuing, life will feel very boring and it will slip away fast. I might have done this exploration wrong, but it felt like those three days were really just me avoiding some of my hobbies that are naturally competitive. When everyone else is investing their feelings into an activity, it’s a bit rude to be the only one who doesn’t really care what happens. back