Artist of Life, Drawing from Within by Patti Lightflower
About 2300 years ago a Greek philosopher, Epicurus, wrote letters to his friends encouraging them to enjoy life now while they are living. His writings inspired people to spend quality time relaxing, enjoying the arts, music, reading and writing with no particular purpose but to enjoy the experience. A few centuries later his work was cast as debauchery by the Catholic Church, and he was not to be found on recommended reading lists. Yet, immoral and lazy behavior was not Epicurus’ teaching or intent. “We also need time to rest, which is essential to regenerate the soul. The state of rest is not only sleep, but also, no less, creative idleness. For the ancients it was the moment of the care of ideals because everything that occurred in that idle active time was free from any material purpose. Thought, writing, reading idle even today represent the flower of knowledge and food of the gods.” – Epicurus – Greek Philosopher lived from 341 to 270 BC.
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“Creative idleness”. What a fascinating and inviting phrase! This is as good of advice today as it was a couple thousand years ago. Epicurus taught that happiness was key for a healthy and productive life. This was to be practiced with a mind to balance and harmony rather than selfish indulgence. Burnout and boredom make good antonyms. Being productive is considered a virtue in most societies. This has led to so many of us judging the quality of our lives and the virtue of our souls by some standard of productivity. Appearing bored or idle can be viewed as laziness. Just our choice in simple words can make all the difference in our attitudes towards whether a state of being is an indulgence or a virtuous activity, is self-destructive or rewarding, or righteous self-denial versus being nourishing and restorative. Near my bed is a book which I purchased solely for the cover and title. The content is excellent, too. It is
Summer’s Bliss 2021
