Copying here a post of Elli on Facebook (where she helps keep the Epicurean Philosophy group alive while we work on more content here!)
Speaking of Philodemus always comes to my mind the city of Herculaneum in which Philodemus had lived, as well as the father in law of Ceasar that was Piso who was the same that had built the famous Villa of Papyri with that catastrophic eruption of the volcano Vesuvius that destroyed same city in Italy. And then three sayings comes to my mind the 30 & 31 & 47 that were written by Metrodorus.
30. Some men throughout their lives spend their time gathering together the means of life, for they do not see that the draught swallowed by all of us at birth is a draught of death.
Paraphrasing:
30. Some men throughout their lives spend their time gathering together the means of life (e.g. singing that famous song entitled "Funiculì funiculà" - hear at the youtube video) for they do not see that the draught swallowed by all of us at birth is a draught of death (e.g. what a silly decision is to build your villa next to Vesuvius).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH0TMmgPtjg
31. Against all else it is possible to provide security, but as against death all of us mortals alike dwell in an unfortified city.
Paraphrasing:
31. Against all else it is possible to provide security, but as against death all of us mortals alike dwell next to the mount of the volcano Vesuvius.
And in the end the ES 47 which says: I have anticipated thee, Fortune, and entrenched myself against all thy secret attacks. And I will not give myself up as captive to thee or to any other circumstance; but when it is time for me to go, spitting contempt on life and on those who vainly cling to it, I will leave life crying aloud a glorious triumph-song that I have lived well.
In the above ES 47 it is like hearing Metrodorus saying to Philodemus: Hey epicurean friend Philodemus, I have the impression that you did not anticipate on the issue of "Fortune" and you took many risks to give yourself captive against its secret attack that is for living in the city next to the volcano Vesuvius. But anyway, the eruption of Vesuvius preserved your Papyri on Epicurean philosophy that proves that you have lived well. That is to say the general picture is: in a catrastroph (death) of something, it is the creation (born) of a new one else.
And as the archeologists are digging and digging in Herculaneum the only thing they will discover is the New Man i.e. the hyperman by Epicurus and Nietzsche.
And here is a nice video about the life that was in Antiquity of Herculaneum. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zSN18Xk8jU&t=3505s
In this video there is a remarkable note: the same wine of ancient Romans that produced in Herculaneum and made them joyfull... in our days became as "the tears of Christ".
