mguhlin

Ataraxia

As shown here

Reading Bertrand Russell quotes, like the one displayed above, kindled my curiosity in “Lucretius.” What or who is that? Thanks to a few internet searches and explorations on a Saturday evening, I found it refers to Titus Lucretius Carus.

In high school, I remember doing my first research report on evolution. Who knew that Lucretius is credited with the first efforts in this area? He also discusses the atom, and other fascinating items in his poem, On The Nature of Things. 
In presenting a 2009 translation of his work, this term appears:
ataraxia—the tranquility of mind achieved when one is freed from the fear of occult controllers
And this excerpt of a translated poem appears:
It was long the case that men would grovel upon the earth,
crushed beneath the weight of Superstition whose head
loomed in the heavens, glaring down with her dreadful visage
until Epicurus of Greece dared to look up and confront her,
taking a stand against the fables and myths of the gods . . .
Isn’t it amazing how long human beings have wrestled with their place in the world, who they are, and how we came to be?

Free of Fear

Does religion (human understanding of the divine) fuel our collective fear? Is it because we believe, that we hold sacred truths, that we hate and fear those who see reality in different ways than us?
There’s no denying this idea has arisen again and again, that religion has been a “disease” afflicting humanity. When I give thought to those believers who supported the winner of the 2016 presidential election, I can’t help but think, wouldn’t they have benefited from ataraxia? It is ironic that believers are afraid, isn’t it? For if God is with you, who can be against you? I suspect they know that God isn’t with them. That’s why they are afraid of the other.

“Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum.” -Lucretius

The real challenge is finding a way to relinquish one’s fears, to let go of all the absolute right answers to questions in the here and now. Humanism may be a vaccine for some, but the unvaccinated…some say they are Legion.
I don’t know. Like you, I have my doubts. In the meantime, enjoy….

Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

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