Travels with Epicurus notes
E said: "It is impossible to live wisely and well and justly without living a pleasant life". Of course, the first question is what is a pleasant life? But if we were to come up with our answer to that question, then does his conclusion follow?
Do we go after that "bucket list" or do we develop a contemplative life, or some combination? Klein is writing about what people (should?) do in their older age (not get face lifts or viagra!) but to live in their old age, not avoid it. It is an interesting question for any age though. What does the notion of having a bucket list mean about how we view life? Is life simply a series of experiences that we are better for having? My grandma used to say, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life". Planning for a future filled with experiences from a list, does not seem consistent with that philosophy. What would it mean to live just for today instead?
Sometimes it seems as if people are filling their lives with whatever (bucket list achievements, books, sex, volunteer work, tv, text messaging, sleep. . . ) to keep from being bored. What if being bored is okay and no more or less "meaningful" then anything else on that list? How, then, does one make choices about what to do with one's time? If you were to live "day by day" would you just only make choices for the next few minutes or hours?
Klein discusses how freeing it is to not have to deal with the "politics of other people". This is a rather radical idea. Aren't we supposed to be living our old age better in the company of our many friends and loving family? People who have to be pleased, attended to, loved, nurtured, worried about . . . That doesn't seem very free.
Do we go after that "bucket list" or do we develop a contemplative life, or some combination? Klein is writing about what people (should?) do in their older age (not get face lifts or viagra!) but to live in their old age, not avoid it. It is an interesting question for any age though. What does the notion of having a bucket list mean about how we view life? Is life simply a series of experiences that we are better for having? My grandma used to say, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life". Planning for a future filled with experiences from a list, does not seem consistent with that philosophy. What would it mean to live just for today instead?
Sometimes it seems as if people are filling their lives with whatever (bucket list achievements, books, sex, volunteer work, tv, text messaging, sleep. . . ) to keep from being bored. What if being bored is okay and no more or less "meaningful" then anything else on that list? How, then, does one make choices about what to do with one's time? If you were to live "day by day" would you just only make choices for the next few minutes or hours?
Klein discusses how freeing it is to not have to deal with the "politics of other people". This is a rather radical idea. Aren't we supposed to be living our old age better in the company of our many friends and loving family? People who have to be pleased, attended to, loved, nurtured, worried about . . . That doesn't seem very free.
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