I've noticed a lot of talk about Stoicism here in TRP, but very little about other philosophies. I've been spending some time learning of late, and it turns out the Greek philosophers have a lot of wisdom that we could benefit from. Today I'll talk about Epicurus, the philosophy of happiness, and what we can take away from it all. Thanks to /u/RU_Crazy for his post: The Importance of Friendship (use the search) which started me down this path.

About Epicurus

Epicurus (341-270 BC) was a Greek Philosopher who studied happiness. According to him, we should all seek to maximize happiness and ataraxy (a sense of serene calmness). In other words, do what makes YOU happy, and keep a level head. Seems pretty easy, right?

Morality

Epicurus was among the first of radically amoral philosophers. Nothing was good or bad, things just increase or decrease your net happiness and ataraxy. An action that brings short term pleasure but has long term negative consequences is a bad action, because it hurts your net ataraxy.

How to be happy

Weigh the net effect of your actions on your happiness and ataraxy before you do things. Prioritize attainable goals instead of lofty, hard to achieve ones. Animal needs (food, health, orgasms, sleep) bring you as much or more happiness in the long run than lofty desires, such as a big house on the hill or a lot of money. You shouldn't have to work too hard to achieve happiness. Don't waste time chasing the other sex - if they're up for fucking, go right ahead, but if a female wants to put you through a bunch of trouble for sex, well, there's other ways to get off.

What Really Makes us Happy

According to Epicurus, we really only need a few things to make us happy.

  • Friendship
    • More time with friends is better. You also want to make sure that a friend is someone who's advice you would seriously consider. For example, if four of your friends tell you not to marry a bitch, don't fucking marry the bitch. Friends are there to help us reason, so choose them wisely.
  • Improving our world
    • We need meaning in what we do. If your job is entirely soul sucking, make sure you have some hobbies that provide meaning to your life. You need to enjoy and find pleasure in your work, as well as feel that it makes your world a better place.
  • Ataraxy (or calmness)
    • People make the mistake of thinking that a lot of money and a big house will buy them peace of mind, but that's bullshit. Learn to find calmness in your own head at all times, and life will become much easier. Meditate, write, or find some other activity that you can do alone to achieve the ideal state of mind you want. If you work out alone, this is great.

Things to avoid

Epicurus noted that people are really bad at figuring out what actually makes us happy. Here are some common things that disturb our ataraxy and should generally be avoided.

  • Power & Politics
    • The people involved in power, politics, and the governance of others are constantly dealing with troubles that aren't really their problem. Getting involved in the troubles of others is a sure fire way to have more stress and unhappiness in your life than you need, and it'll greatly throw off your ataraxy.
  • Romantic Love
    • Romantic love leaves people vulnerable to all kinds of trouble and unhappiness; better to avoid it altogether. This is not a new concept for TRP, or apparently for ancient philosophy. Friends are there because you are happier around them; this isn't always (in current times, rarely) the case with a romantic partner.
  • Too much or too little money:
    • It's best to have as much money as you need for comfort, rather than amassing more than you need. I personally recommend the financialindependence subreddit for your money research. Retire by 40? Yes please.

Epicurus and TRP

Epicurus was adamant that men should focus on friendship with other men, particularly men who could help one reason. Friends should be the people who's advice you would follow; and who you respected.

He was against the pursuit of love, noting that it wrought lots of unhappiness. He argues that people who are your friends bring you joy and you are calm with them, but romantic love was a trap that often brought much sorrow and unhappiness.

Bonus Lecture on Epicurus: 1 hour long

tl;dr

Epicurus is basically the first philosopher who decided to figure out how to be happy. He says we should live quiet, comfortable lives while spending lots of time with our friends. We should avoid love, keep a stable and stoic mindset, and do what makes us happy. Additionally, as a Greek philosopher, Epicurus believed in actively spending time thinking about things; in this case, think about what actually makes you happy, and what you want out of life.

Personally, Epicurus resonates with my goals. Happiness has always been #1 in my life, and his teachings make a lot of sense. I set straightforward goals (lift regularly, eat well, spend time outside and with friends, do work that I enjoy) and I find myself happier than I've ever been.