Logically, I think we are more of an Epicurean society. Much of our society is based on long term happiness, even if it causes annoyance in the short term. At the minimum, people spend 16 years (12 Elementary-High School, 4 College) of their lives being educated. Of course, a good majority of us do not enjoy a healthy amount of tasks we are given. I don't like doing math at all, but I must do well in it to go to another school (college), where I must do well in order to graduate and begin the career that all of this work has led to. If you want to be a doctor, Epicureanism is the way to go. If being a doctor will make you happy, you must spend 20 years possibly of schooling to achieve this goal. This is something that would surely along the way contain numerous tedious tasks you do not enjoy, but after all that work, you would achieve your happiness goal.
Stoicism is more about short term happiness. My instincts often tell me to sit around doing nothing and forget about my work until the very last second, because I like TV and Video games more than homework. However, I must think about "Future Tim". I don't want Future Tim to be up late and be stressed because Present Tim wanted to watch TV. Also, Future Tim wouldn't do well on his test if he was very stressed. While "living in the moment" and always doing what gives you instant happiness can work for a while, eventually it leads to the opposite effect.
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This thing about "Future Tim" not wanting to be stressed out the next day is not Epicurean because it's over a short period of time as opposed to the Epicurean belief of happiness over a life time. Also, there's nothing wrong with living in the moment. It's important sometimes to take a break from all the pressure and to do something you like. All work and no play might make "Future Tim" a dull boy.
ReplyDeleteyou said that instant happiness eventually leads to the opposite effect. I dont think this is necessarily true. If you live in the moment, it doesn't mean that you will end up being unhappy. yes, you might not get into a good college, or might not get a good job, but I think that everyone is different and someone may not care. They may just believe that when they do what makes them happy, they will always be happy.
ReplyDeleteRemember, the persuit of short term happiness is typically associated with Hedonism, not Stoicism. Stoics do not concern themselves with personal happiness--merely longevity. They don't see winning the lottery as any better than a lightning storm wrecking their home.
ReplyDeleteUnlike Epicureans, Stoics don't calculate how to get the most pain free (or happiest) future--they simply believe that everything happens for a reason and try to live with it. Don't confuse the idea of living in the moment ("carpe diem") with the idea of short term pleasure. Carpe diem is a simple way of saying "No matter what life throws at me, I'm not going to let it bring me down."
In other words, Stoics can also be doctors. However, they don't dwell on the huge amount of work required to be one any more than they dwell on the huge salary they might one day earn. They just take it one day at a time.
The real interesting question is why, as Tim demonstrated so nicely, are most of us Epicureans and not Stoics? Are missing out on a potentially better way of living our life?