Horace, I.9

Horace's I.9 relates very well to what we learned last week about Epicurus and his philosophy. So then let's start with what Epicurus' philosophy even is! He is all about getting rid of the negative pain in your life (caused by greed, ambition, the want of things we cannot have); he tells us to focus on what we can have in our lives and what makes us happy. It is necessary to have a balance between the happiness and pain, because if the pain outweighs the happiness in your life, then something has to change. No one wants to live a life of regret and pain.

Epicurus' advice goes well with Horace I.9. In that poem, he tells us to stop focusing so much on tomorrow and to enjoy what we have today. The things to enjoy specifically include "sweet loves and dance". It tells us to indulge in the moment before "white old age" comes; let everything alone to the Fate/gods. Therefore, this is how the two things relate pretty well to each other.

Applying both messages to the real world, is a simple example: it is human nature to want something that we cannot have. We all have something or someone in our lives that we know we can't have, and i wonder sometimes why that is; I wonder why we want these things. Is it the thrill of the chase? Is it because no matter what we have, it doesn't seem to be good enough? Or is it that "the grass is always greener on the other side" mentality? I think at one point or another every one of us has learned that the grass isn't so green on the other side, and that, in fact, we all have our own share of problems. While a life, a family, or a person may seem put-together and fine on the outside, everyone is a little broken in some way. It may not be big; maybe something that happened years ago or a death in the family, but either way, everyone has suffered something. Epicurus said we all have pain and happiness, and many people have worked hard to get to the good places they are today. Listening to the philosophies of Epicurus and reading Horace I.9 made me think of all this.