By Professor Caverna | OPINION
Ataraxia is a fancy-sounding word, but deep down it means something very simple and desired by many people: peace of mind, total tranquility, that state in which nothing affects you anymore. Each philosopher had an idea of what this peace was and how to achieve it.
Diogenes was one of the first to talk about ataraxia, but he had a very peculiar style, you know? He lived a life that was quite outside the norm, he lived in a barrel and believed that to be truly free and at peace, we should not need anything beyond the basics to survive. For him, true ataraxia came when we got rid of all the worries and unnecessary luxuries in life. Peace, according to Diogenes, was found in radical simplicity and self-sufficiency.
Pyrrho believed that ataraxia arose when we stopped judging and labeling things as good or bad. He was one of the first to develop skepticism, arguing that the world is uncertain and that we will never really know what is true or not. For Pyrrho, if you don't worry about knowing everything for sure, you live more easily and find this so-called ataraxia, this tranquility of not getting stressed about what is uncertain.
Epicurus also had a great view on ataraxia. He believed that inner peace came from a simple life, with few desires and many pleasures, but not excessive pleasures, okay? For him, ataraxia happened when we focused on the essential and avoided pain and suffering, including the fear of death. Epicurus said that getting rid of this fear was essential to living in peace, and the secret was to enjoy life's pleasures in moderation.
The Stoics, such as Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, had a more resilient approach. They believed that ataraxia came from accepting things as they are and focusing only on what we can control. The idea was to develop a mind strong enough to not be shaken by everyday problems. According to the Stoics, you achieve ataraxia when you understand that, no matter how chaotic the world outside may be, you can maintain calm and peace within yourself.
Each of these philosophers had a different way of seeing ataraxia, but they all had the same goal: to live without being tormented by worries, fears and suffering. So, the next time you hear “ataraxia”, you know that it is about this peace that everyone, in some way, seeks!
What would be your current definition of peace of mind?
Note: Dear reader, the objective here is to stimulate your philosophical reflection, nothing more!
“They took the primate out of the jungle, but not the jungle out of the primate” – Prof Caverna
Caverna is a Philosophy professor, digital content creator and coordinator of the “Café Filosófico” project in Foz do Iguaçu.
This text is the responsibility of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of H2FOZ.
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