“Named must your fear be before banish it you can.” Yoda, from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
I've never been much of a reader of self-help books, be they on management styles, career choices or lifestyle designs. They often strike me as 10-page Powerpoint presentations inflated into 300-page yarns just so as not to appear too naked in front of the reader. Also, a life governed by aims and goals seems like a life reduced to flowcharts and spreadsheets. I personally prefer reading philosophy or psychology books, yet somehow came across a rather interesting example of the lifestyle design genre, “The 4-Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferriss. It is essentially a guide to live a life rich in experiences on a modest budget whilst creating an income that frees up most of your time to actually have those experiences rather than postponing them to an uncertain future.
One thing that struck me was how similar the whole attitude was to the Greek philosopher Epicurus. I have written about Epicurus before and the method was being applied specifically to financial situations and material desires. However, the same method can be used for any kind of personal dilemma. I think that having a method is more important than following someone else's to-do lists. Such lists are the final action points but are useless at generating the kind of Socratic dialogue with yourself that makes those actions meaningful. How many New Year's resolutions go begging by mid-January? Was it even worth the mental energy used in making them? A resolution without resolve is pointless.
The sub-title of Ferriss' book is “Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich.” Information technology, the internet and outsourcing all those tedious parts of our lives can transform a lifeless drone existence into a life less ordinary. The book has lots of practical advice but those parts that impressed me the most are those exercises in discovering one's own very personal and very real fears. I must admit to being homeless – not in the sense of not having a roof over my head but in that a house is just a dwelling, not a home. There are many such nomads in the world, either born out of two different cultures or living a peripatetic childhood. Having no allegiance to any one country means the whole world can be your home. It is just a matter of mind-set and a few practicalities. But you don't have to feel like a nomad to wander this world and experience the richness of lifestyles and cultures.
What would be your dream lifestyle? What would be your dream job? Where in the world do you want to go? Do you prefer walking barefoot on a sandy beach or feeling the crunching snow beneath your boots? Why are you where you are? And is it the best place to be? What about all those things you'd really love to do but are too petrified because they seem somehow too extreme – they are so far outside the box that you can't see the box any more.
What stops most people living their dreams is not physical but mental and emotional. Many fear that a major change in lifestyle means burning their bridges back to the safe, predictable, boring past. What few consider is that inaction means burning the same bridges but to the future and from the wrong end. Where Ferriss is full of the can-do spirit, Epicurus warns against losing things that are truly important. Running a beach-front bar on a tropical island sounds like a dream job, but if the love of your life is 10,000 km away then your real dream is only half fulfilled.
The idea is not to run away from anything but to free yourself from an unfulfilling existence. The first things to free yourself from are your fears. This is where the to-do lists fall apart and a sequence of questions-and-answers is a much better way to discover new things about yourself. The mind has this amazing capacity to create a construct of reality; only problem is that it isn't always very accurate. The mind seems to construct 'plausible narratives' and thereby sacrifices consistency and often truth. Seeking to edit that narrative so that it makes cogent sense will probably unearth a number of delusions. Changing our lifestyle is primarily about changing ourselves, and to do so means putting ourselves under the microscope.
The mind constructs its reality from its inputs. It is therefore important that your plans or problems are written down along with the questions and answers to each step. Your own written words thereby become new inputs rather than just the same doubts going round and round in circles as part of your mental chatter. Writing everything down, most especially the questions, means your mind will continue to process these inputs even when you're not consciously aware of it. The answers may come at any time; sometimes they will involve some action, sometimes they will raise new questions and sometimes it will strike you that it was just a matter of finding the right key.
In Carlos Castaneda's books on the Yaqui shaman Don Juan, the very first lesson is in overcoming fear. Such fears may be either internal or external. It could be the fear of confronting one's own inner psychic content or it could be the fear of approaching strangers. Tim Ferriss says he overcame many fears by forcing himself to contact famous people to ask for advice or assistance – he found most of them to be perfectly human and in no way divine. He also overcame his fear of water by learning to swim in 10 days. As you work through your personal questions-and-answers be honest with yourself – be brutally honest as if that person in the mirror is someone else. If your aim is to change the way you live then start by looking at the absolutely worst scenario. How would you manage it? Is it really all that bad?
Everyone has their own story to tell and their own fears that they hide from the world – and which they hide even from themselves. Building those bridges to a better future means crossing those bridges one by one. The passwords that let you move through the toll-gates are the answers to those questions you were afraid to ask. The sum total of all those bridges is the network of our life. In order to change that life some bridges need burning whilst others need building.
Time to rewrite that lifestyle narrative.
Showing posts with label greek philosophy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label greek philosophy. Show all posts
A Philosophy of Wealth and Happiness
My thoughts on Not Having Enough Money: Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton
In times of economic hardship it is natural to take stock of our financial situation, but also wise to review what makes us truly happy.
Epicurus of Samos
The chapter on Not Having Enough Money, from Alain de Botton's Consolations of Philosophy, starts by whetting the reader's appetite with an advertiser's relish for luxurious imagery: a Georgian town house; a private jet; a sumptuous bathroom, and so on. All the height of good taste, and all but dreams for most people's budgets. A philosophy of life that included pleasure and wealth would surely be the height of popularity; and, indeed, there is just such a philosophy. Epicurus was born in 341 BC on the fertile island of Samos and after some years of study he became dissatisfied by the generally austere and other-worldly philosophies he encountered. By the age of 29 he decided to set down his own thoughts. The chief characteristic of Epicureanism was that a good life was founded upon sensual pleasures - and by sensual is meant the pleasures of all the senses: the taste of a good meal; the sight of aesthetic forms; an exchange of friendly conversation; and, yes, this includes sexual pleasures.
Even at the time, over 2000 years ago, this was a shock to Athenian society who had a mental picture of the Socratic philosopher inhabiting the realm of ideas and largely oblivious to the corporeal needs and desires of most of humanity. It also comes as no surprise that Epicurus soon surrounded himself with wealthy patrons, desirous to wine and dine at the table of their philosopher of pleasure. He eventually established what is best described as a commune on the outskirts of Athens, where both men and women could devote themselves to the pursuit of happiness.
However, it would be a grave error to confuse Epicurus with Dionysus (the god of wine and fertility). Before rushing headlong into a life of sybaritic gratification it would be wise to read Epicurus beyond the headlines. To be successful in the pursuit of happiness one needs to have a thorough understanding of what is true happy. In the case of Epicurus, such pleasures were actually simple and inexpensive.
Friendship
“Of all the things that wisdom provides to help one live one's entire life in happiness, the greatest by far is the possession of friendship.” Epicurus stressed that dining in good company was even more important than what was on the menu. That true friends relate to each other at a deeper level than mere casual acquaintances, and are always there for each other. A handful of true friends could not be purchased with any amount of money and power.
Freedom
The Epicurean commune also removed itself from the economic and political life of Athens, being as self-sufficient as they could. They forsook wealth for simplicity, and placed their freedom to be happy above the desire for status at the service of another. They measured their wealth in terms of happiness rather than in gold.
Thought
This third necessary ingredient is in the great tradition of Greek philosophy; that only the analysed life is truly worth living. The ability to think clearly and openly was the best way to resolve both the smallest domestic problems to the largest questions of life. Having the freedom to think clearly and the friends to discuss issues openly, it would be more likely to lead to a resolution rather than having thoughts swirl around inside our solitary troubled mind.
What is necessary and natural
Epicurus divided desires into three categories. He placed freedom, friendship and thinking into what was both natural and necessary – adding here the obvious physical necessities such as food and shelter. Those things that were considered natural but not necessary were luxuries such as a fine house, sumptuous meals and exotic holidays. In the last category Epicurus placed fame and power as desires that are neither natural nor necessary.
Money and Happiness
We are now in a position to see clearly the relationship the Epicureans had with money. Money is both natural and necessary in order to further those desires that are natural and necessary. If your life is already fulfilled and pleasurable then earning the extra money needed to finance those luxuries may not be necessary but is not harmful either. However, if the aim of accumulating wealth is in order to fulfil desires in the second or third categories, without first having satisfied those in the first, then our life is liable to remain unfulfilled and unhappy. For Epicurus, happiness is the absence of either physical pain or mental suffering - he is not interested in an ostentatious show of joy, but rather the inner tranquillity that comes from leading a good life.
A State of Mind
Happiness is a state of mind and throwing money at the problem is not a solution. Epicurus sees that much consumer behaviour is a displacement reaction, with a tragic lack of awareness of the real desires we are trying to fulfil. We buy that sports car, when what we really want is freedom; we throw a lavish party, when what we really desire are some close friends; we take an expensive holiday, when what we really need is time for quiet contemplation. Even as far back as ancient Greece, Epicurus pointed the finger of blame for this psychological blindness to the 'idle opinions' of the masses, fed by the corporate desire to increase profits by stimulating a material vision of the good life, whilst ignoring our true needs – friendship cannot be bought wholesale, repackaged and sold at a profit.
Advertising Space
Some 400 years after Epicurus, a huge stone colonnade 80 metres long and 4 metres high was erected in the market-place of Oinoanda, a town in south-western Asia Minor. On it were inscribed sayings from Epicurean philosophy on the dangers of seeking true happiness in material possessions. This advertising space was sponsored by one of the town's wealthiest citizens as an expression of his joy in having discovered the philosophy of pleasure. Alain de Botton seems to think that a modern Epicurean advertising campaign would likely cause global economic collapse. This may be more telling about how fragile our consumer driven economies really are, however, as one of the Oinoanda slogans read,”Real value is generated not by theatres and baths and perfumes and ointments ... but by natural science.”
Discussing Epicurean science and their general world view would stray too far from our focus on our financial health. However, Epicurus does suggest a scientific thought experiment to help us analyse our desires and thereby distinguish between our real needs and our apparent desires.
Five Steps to Genuine Happiness
1. Imagine your current desire projected into the future. For example, you want an expensive holiday villa.
2. Now imagine that your desire does not actually lead to the expected happiness. For example, the villa is fantastic but you don't have a close companion, or alternatively, going camping could be more pleasurable if in the company of the right person.
3. If you find such cases that do not lead to happiness then the original object of desire was neither natural nor necessary and therefore will ultimately not lead to the hoped for pleasure.
4. By such analysis the original desire should be recast to take into account any exceptions just found. In our example, it becomes clearer that whether staying at an expensive villa or a more modest destination, true pleasure comes from sharing the experience with the right person.
5. Your true needs should now be clearer than your impulsive initial desire. In the language of Epicurus, having established your natural and necessary desires you are also in a better position to judge whether you can really afford the villa or the camping in the full knowledge that neither is the real source of happiness.
It is best to set down in writing the whole process so that the mind does not play tricks on itself. The whole analysis essentially starts with an object or objective of desire and then adds things that would make it more pleasurable and subtracts things that make it less. By doing so it is possible that the original object disappears entirely, replaced by something that is both more important and less expensive.
To twist a famous saying; you can't always get what you want, but you can get everything that you truly need.
In times of economic hardship it is natural to take stock of our financial situation, but also wise to review what makes us truly happy.
Epicurus of Samos
The chapter on Not Having Enough Money, from Alain de Botton's Consolations of Philosophy, starts by whetting the reader's appetite with an advertiser's relish for luxurious imagery: a Georgian town house; a private jet; a sumptuous bathroom, and so on. All the height of good taste, and all but dreams for most people's budgets. A philosophy of life that included pleasure and wealth would surely be the height of popularity; and, indeed, there is just such a philosophy. Epicurus was born in 341 BC on the fertile island of Samos and after some years of study he became dissatisfied by the generally austere and other-worldly philosophies he encountered. By the age of 29 he decided to set down his own thoughts. The chief characteristic of Epicureanism was that a good life was founded upon sensual pleasures - and by sensual is meant the pleasures of all the senses: the taste of a good meal; the sight of aesthetic forms; an exchange of friendly conversation; and, yes, this includes sexual pleasures.
Even at the time, over 2000 years ago, this was a shock to Athenian society who had a mental picture of the Socratic philosopher inhabiting the realm of ideas and largely oblivious to the corporeal needs and desires of most of humanity. It also comes as no surprise that Epicurus soon surrounded himself with wealthy patrons, desirous to wine and dine at the table of their philosopher of pleasure. He eventually established what is best described as a commune on the outskirts of Athens, where both men and women could devote themselves to the pursuit of happiness.
However, it would be a grave error to confuse Epicurus with Dionysus (the god of wine and fertility). Before rushing headlong into a life of sybaritic gratification it would be wise to read Epicurus beyond the headlines. To be successful in the pursuit of happiness one needs to have a thorough understanding of what is true happy. In the case of Epicurus, such pleasures were actually simple and inexpensive.
Friendship
“Of all the things that wisdom provides to help one live one's entire life in happiness, the greatest by far is the possession of friendship.” Epicurus stressed that dining in good company was even more important than what was on the menu. That true friends relate to each other at a deeper level than mere casual acquaintances, and are always there for each other. A handful of true friends could not be purchased with any amount of money and power.
Freedom
The Epicurean commune also removed itself from the economic and political life of Athens, being as self-sufficient as they could. They forsook wealth for simplicity, and placed their freedom to be happy above the desire for status at the service of another. They measured their wealth in terms of happiness rather than in gold.
Thought
This third necessary ingredient is in the great tradition of Greek philosophy; that only the analysed life is truly worth living. The ability to think clearly and openly was the best way to resolve both the smallest domestic problems to the largest questions of life. Having the freedom to think clearly and the friends to discuss issues openly, it would be more likely to lead to a resolution rather than having thoughts swirl around inside our solitary troubled mind.
What is necessary and natural
Epicurus divided desires into three categories. He placed freedom, friendship and thinking into what was both natural and necessary – adding here the obvious physical necessities such as food and shelter. Those things that were considered natural but not necessary were luxuries such as a fine house, sumptuous meals and exotic holidays. In the last category Epicurus placed fame and power as desires that are neither natural nor necessary.
Money and Happiness
We are now in a position to see clearly the relationship the Epicureans had with money. Money is both natural and necessary in order to further those desires that are natural and necessary. If your life is already fulfilled and pleasurable then earning the extra money needed to finance those luxuries may not be necessary but is not harmful either. However, if the aim of accumulating wealth is in order to fulfil desires in the second or third categories, without first having satisfied those in the first, then our life is liable to remain unfulfilled and unhappy. For Epicurus, happiness is the absence of either physical pain or mental suffering - he is not interested in an ostentatious show of joy, but rather the inner tranquillity that comes from leading a good life.
A State of Mind
Happiness is a state of mind and throwing money at the problem is not a solution. Epicurus sees that much consumer behaviour is a displacement reaction, with a tragic lack of awareness of the real desires we are trying to fulfil. We buy that sports car, when what we really want is freedom; we throw a lavish party, when what we really desire are some close friends; we take an expensive holiday, when what we really need is time for quiet contemplation. Even as far back as ancient Greece, Epicurus pointed the finger of blame for this psychological blindness to the 'idle opinions' of the masses, fed by the corporate desire to increase profits by stimulating a material vision of the good life, whilst ignoring our true needs – friendship cannot be bought wholesale, repackaged and sold at a profit.
Advertising Space
Some 400 years after Epicurus, a huge stone colonnade 80 metres long and 4 metres high was erected in the market-place of Oinoanda, a town in south-western Asia Minor. On it were inscribed sayings from Epicurean philosophy on the dangers of seeking true happiness in material possessions. This advertising space was sponsored by one of the town's wealthiest citizens as an expression of his joy in having discovered the philosophy of pleasure. Alain de Botton seems to think that a modern Epicurean advertising campaign would likely cause global economic collapse. This may be more telling about how fragile our consumer driven economies really are, however, as one of the Oinoanda slogans read,”Real value is generated not by theatres and baths and perfumes and ointments ... but by natural science.”
Discussing Epicurean science and their general world view would stray too far from our focus on our financial health. However, Epicurus does suggest a scientific thought experiment to help us analyse our desires and thereby distinguish between our real needs and our apparent desires.
Five Steps to Genuine Happiness
1. Imagine your current desire projected into the future. For example, you want an expensive holiday villa.
2. Now imagine that your desire does not actually lead to the expected happiness. For example, the villa is fantastic but you don't have a close companion, or alternatively, going camping could be more pleasurable if in the company of the right person.
3. If you find such cases that do not lead to happiness then the original object of desire was neither natural nor necessary and therefore will ultimately not lead to the hoped for pleasure.
4. By such analysis the original desire should be recast to take into account any exceptions just found. In our example, it becomes clearer that whether staying at an expensive villa or a more modest destination, true pleasure comes from sharing the experience with the right person.
5. Your true needs should now be clearer than your impulsive initial desire. In the language of Epicurus, having established your natural and necessary desires you are also in a better position to judge whether you can really afford the villa or the camping in the full knowledge that neither is the real source of happiness.
It is best to set down in writing the whole process so that the mind does not play tricks on itself. The whole analysis essentially starts with an object or objective of desire and then adds things that would make it more pleasurable and subtracts things that make it less. By doing so it is possible that the original object disappears entirely, replaced by something that is both more important and less expensive.
To twist a famous saying; you can't always get what you want, but you can get everything that you truly need.
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