An Invitation To An Epicurean 25th
The 25th of December can be a very stressful time of the year, especially for those who find themselves spending it largely or completely alone. Most of us have been raised in cultures with impossible mystical expectations for this day and time of year, and it can be depressing to come to the realization that the truth is far different. This year I have the time to devote to a new project: I would like to invite anyone who is spending the holiday apart from friends and family to make a special effort to drop by the Epicurean Philosophy Group. I will plan to set up a special place online and devote as much of the holiday as possible to chatting with whoever drops by, and I invite all our friends who have time to do the same. If you too are largely or partly on your own for the holiday, please consider making a special effort to drop by.
To mark this as a special occasion, I will plan to make a special post at midnight on December 24th (Athens time zone, of course, which means 5:00 PM Eastern time in the USA) and continue online with as few breaks as possible until midnight on the 25th. Between now and then I will see if I can come up with a special chat room or other location where we can have more instant interaction. But whether that is possible or not, the starting point and the end point will be a post here at the Facebook group where a link to any other chat location can be found.
We can of course discuss Epicurean philosophy, but this will also be a perfect occasion to share a little about those things we find most enjoyable in our personal lives. For example, last year at this time we had with us in the group Amrinder Singh, whose hobby was flying ultralight aircraft. Tragically, Amrinder was killed this past year in a flight accident, but he passed away doing what he loved, and we can all learn from the example to spend our time most wisely – not for the sake of wisdom itself – but for the sake of making the happiest use of the time that we have. To remember Amrinder we have a great photo of him in flight with the Epicurean leaping pig from Herculaneum on his helmet, and that in turn is a reminder that it’s helpful to think of spending our time “as if Epicurus were watching.”
Whether your hobby is as unusual as ultralight aircraft or as “normal” as your garden or your dog or cat, talking about happy and enjoyable things is a great way to spend the holiday. Any interesting topic that you think others of Epicurean persuasion might find interesting to hear would be welcome.
It’s probable that many of us will only be able to spend a short while online, but please try to drop by and say hello. And if you are facing a twenty-fifth largely on your own, mark it down to drop by with us, where you will be appreciated and welcomed!
And have a Happy Twenty-Fifth!
