Book
Scrisoare către Menoiceus
by Epicur · -300 · 2 reading cards · public domain
2 cards
Scrisoare către Menoiceus · -300
You cannot experience death, so the fear of it is irrational.
Epicurus argues that the fear of death is irrational. While we live, death is not present; when death arrives, we no longer exist to experience it. It is like fearing a state you will never undergo. For example, no one fears the time before they were born, though that is the same non-existence.
“Death is nothing to us: while we exist, death is not present; and when death is present, we no longer exist.”
Scrisoare către Menoiceus · -300
True wealth is a state of mental contentment, not a quantity of possessions.
Epicurus distinguishes between outer and inner wealth. A person with many possessions but insatiable desires will always be poor at heart. Conversely, someone who limits desires to natural and necessary needs lives in abundance. For instance, a monk content with little can be richer than a tycoon who always wants more.
“Do not consider rich the man who has much, but the one who desires little.”