Yes this has to happen in stages. But I do think we all need to be clear about the eventual goal , which is real-life local friendships, real-life marriages, real life Epicurean children and childhood education, etc.!
The whole nine yards that they had in the ancient world.
Aim high, ο φίλος μου! Aim high, my friend! 
I feel I should provide a little more context and rationale for my post in light of your comments.
I regard eating your food consciously and with great joy as inherently natural, something which bring us more pleasure in the end
Exactly.
Still, I wouldn't call it inherently Epicurean
I completely agree; however, I think it's completely in line with Epicurean philosophy. (see below for more)
That would almost be what we sense (rightly or wrong) to have been DeWitt's attitude toward Christianity, on steroids -- every observation of commonality between Christianity and Epicurus becomes "aha - there was crosspolination!" And every observation of people having a good time means that they are Epicurean!
Oh, Cassius knows I'll respond to this
But seriously, I *fully* concur there is no "cross-pollination" or influence or connection (from the researchers/dieticians here) in any way with Epicurean philosophy. I am not (at least in my mind) seeing Epicurean appropriation around every corner.
However, I think their descriptions falls well within an Epicurean tradition or practice unbeknownst to them. Their emphasis on paying attention to your body's cues, your feelings of pleasure and pain, your own interoception is exactly what an Epicurean could/would do.
To respond to @smoothiekiwi , I think it is actually inherently Epicurean without being directly connected to Epicureanism per se.
There are no "rituals" or "traditions" involved in this suggested way of approaching eating. Simply listening to your body's natural innate cues. Epicureans need to pay attention to their feelings of pleasure and pain, and this "intuitive eating" is saying exactly that.
Now, all this being said, this isn't a hill I'm willing to die on... But I think this approach *is* Epicurean in the broad sense. I do not want to go down the syncretism path, but I don't think this particular approach to a healthy attitude toward food (in this time of general abundance and easy access to junk/fast food) is a bad idea, and its general coincidence to being aligned to Epicurean principles was striking from my perspective.
I just saw a piece on the CBS Mornings show about "intuitive eating" that struck me as a very Epicurean way of looking at food.
Here's the site
This line was interesting: "The Japanese have the wisdom to keep pleasure as one of their goals of healthy living."
Uh, hello?
I'm sure the video from the show will be up soon
I'm only half way through the episode, but this is definitely an enjoyable one! Nicely done.
I was going to post this over in the arrogance thread, but thought this was also appropriate.
I seemed to remember in Sedley's translation and commentary of Epicurus's On Nature, Book XXVIII, Epicurus being a little self-deprecating. One example comes at the very end:
So let the words which we have prattled suffice for the present. And you others, try ten thousand times over to commit to memory what I and Metrodorus here have just said.
And now I think I have finished prattling to you this twenty-eighth instalment of our consecutive lecture series.
Epicurus actually does use the word ἀδολεσχέω which means "talk idly, prate [talk foolishly or at tedious length about something]" So I get the image of him and Metrodorus having a "bull session" in front of the students in the Garden, and then laughing and going "Okay, I think we're done for now."
That never struck me as the behavior off someone who was arrogant.
This is an interesting comment from that article - i was not aware that Tacitus mentioned Epicurus:
since Tacitus, in the Dialogue of orators, advises orators to use Plato and Xenophon “and even to borrow certain edifying maxims from Epicurus and Metrodorus“.
Dialogue on Orators - Wikisource, the free online library
see Dialogue XXXI
So Epicurus did occupy the center square of the mosaic:
Ah! But there were originally 8 portraits not 5 it looks like according to this link
FYI for those who read French:
Using that last post: There are a lot of offerings and celebrations that Epicurus makes provisions for in his will:
From the wording, it appears most if not all of these events were going on already, and Epicurus was just making plans for them to continue after he died. And everyone who is being commemorated here is dead already, except Epicurus himself. So, Epicurus commemorates the lives of those who have died on an annual basis and monthly in the case of Metrodorus being commemorated on each 20th. I'm curious if all this was common practice in ancient Greece with birthdays and commemorating the dead. This is a little off target but here is one perspective: https://news.uark.edu/articles/12089…ancient-history
It seems that the dead - although Epicurus's philosophy clearly states that the dead no longer exist - are still "part of the family," they have a continued influence on the living through memory of them. How much more influence on the living community of Epicureans would Metrodorus, Polyaenus, and eventually Epicurus himself have, even after they ceased to exist.
FYI: Diogenes Laertius, book X.18.
"And from the revenues made over by me to Amynomachus and Timocrates let them to the best of their power in consultation with Hermarchus make separate provision (1) for the funeral offerings to my father, mother, and brothers, and (2) for the customary celebration of my birthday on the tenth day of Gamelion in each year, and for the meeting of all my School held every month on the twentieth day to commemorate Metrodorus and myself according to the rules now in force.31 Let them also join in celebrating the day in Poseideon which commemorates my brothers, and likewise the day in Metageitnion which commemorates Polyaenus, as I have done hitherto."
I'm seeing a definition of apperception as:
the mental process by which a person makes "sense of an idea by assimilating it to the body of ideas he or she already possesses."
LSJ just glosses the word as "perceptions"
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, ἐπαίσθ-ημα
I don't even know what YOLO is
LOL It's an acronym for "You Only Love Once" which while true is often used to characterize a daredevil, no-holds-barred lifestyle.
I guess I could have also used FOMO "Fear of Missing Out."
I’m currently a high school student, as- as strangely as it sounds-, there simply isn’t any time left during the week to go out and enjoy the stars.
I certainly respect that fact that the life of a high school student can be hectic! You don't need to add anything else to your schedule.
But, I think, that's one of the points of Epicurus's philosophy. It's about finding pleasure where you are, right now, in the big things but also importantly the little, everyday things. It's the philosophy that could lead Horace to write:
which is usually translated as "Seize the day!" as if it's a YOLO sentiment. (Is using YOLO still a thing??) It's not that. "Carpe" is more accurately translated as "pluck" or "harvest" because the time is ripe, right now, this day, this moment, to find pleasure. So, you don't have to make time to star gaze (although that can be rewarding in many ways). Notice the way the sun plays through the leaves as you walk to or from school. Feel the sun (when it's warm) on your face. Take pleasure in whatever learning you *can* achieve at school whether in your formal classes or by exploring online or in the library. Begin to notice where you can feel gratitude, too. Epicurus places an emphasis on feeling gratitude, even for little things. (Confession: I tend to say "Thank you" out loud when the alarm goes off in my car if I still have the keys in the ignition when I open the door. I am grateful for the engineer that decided to put that feature in so I don't lock my keys in my car! I realize it's a little strange for me to do this maybe, but it works for me.)
You'll see a lot of deep philosophical discussions on this forum and exploration of ancient Greek and Latin texts, etc., and that's great. I take pleasure in all that.
However, for me, Epicurus gave us a practical philosophy, rooted in the everyday experience of human beings, and made it accessible to everyone - otherwise it would not have spread across the ancient world in city after city. At its core, his philosophy is about personal responsibility for actions taken and taking pleasure in the everyday living of our lives.
I'll end with a quote of Epicurus's opening line in his letter to his student Menoikeus:
"Neither must one who is young delay in loving and pursuing wisdom; nor should one who is old grow weary of loving and pursuing wisdom; because it is neither out of season nor untimely for the health of the mind." It's never out of season, nor too early, nor too late. No one is neither too young nor too old to practice philosophy.
Thank you again for engaging on the forum. You've made some great posts, asked a lot of great questions, and I look forward to reading more from you!
I know I'm late to the game here with this, but I thought Bailey (Epicurus: The Extant Remains (1926)) had some interesting input for this discussion:
PD9 Εἰ κατεπυκνοῦτο πᾶσα ἡδονὴ, καὶ χρόνῳ καὶ περὶ ὅλον τὸ ἄθροισμα ὑπῆρχεν ἢ τὰ κυριώτατα μέρη τῆς φύσεως, οὐκ ἄν ποτε διέφερον ἀλλήλων αἱ ἡδοναί.
Bailey's translation:
If every pleasure could be intensified so that it lasted and influenced the whole organism or the most essential parts of our nature, pleasures would never differ from one another.
Bailey's is actually a little more literal some of the other translations.
Bailey translates ἄθροισμα as "organism," seeing this word as literally "the 'aggregate' of atoms of the sould and body which composes man." The word meant "things taken in the aggregate" in ancient Greek.
τὰ κυριώτατα μέρη > Bailey: "the most important parts', i.e., especially the mind rather than the body."
Bailey commentary:
"IX is a unique statement in Epicurus but very important, as it gives the ground for the differentiation of pleasures. Gassendi observed that it was directed against the Cyrenaics, who held (D L ii 87) that ‘no pleasure differs from any other nor is it more pleasant’: they believed also that pleasure was merely momentary and could not be prolonged, so that the object of life was to accumulate as many pleasurable moments as possible, and it did not matter from what source they were derived, life for them was simply and solely apolaustic [devoted to enjoyment]. Epicurus’ view, on the other hand, was that although pleasure could not be increased quantitatively beyond the limit of the complete absence of pain [PD3], yet pleasures could be varied, and had qualitative differences. Here he also implies that they can differ in ‘density’ in three ways, either by lasting longer or by affecting the whole organism or by affecting its more important parts (in particular, the mind). If all pleasures were alike in these respects, then there would be no difference at all between them, but as it is, a ‘calculus of pleasures ’ becomes possible, we can select our pleasures, either according as they are more pure, i e. more completely exclude pain (VIII and XI), or as they are more lasting or affect the whole organism or its more important parts. The theory is an integral part of the ethical scheme and is needed to complete the argument of Ep. iii, § 129."
Bailey goes on to connect PD9 with PD10 through PD13.
"X-XIII regarded as going together and are naturally approached from IX. Epicurus is applying the test of the κυριώτατα μέρη, and in particular of the mind. For its pleasure the necessary conditions are, as has been learnt from the Tetrapharmakos, a true knowledge of the nature of the gods and of death, and an understanding of the bounds to be set to desire and of the limits of pain. Now the pleasures of sensuality cannot help us here ; if they could, we might (apart fiom then accompanying pain) regard them as perfect pleasures. But for this purpose vie must turn rather to philosophy, which gives us the sure knowledge of the nature of the viorld and the principles of our own conduct. PD10 is a straightforward statement. If the pleasures of the body could give us what we need, we could find nothing to censure in them."
I'm honestly not sure how I feel about the content of the video 
; however, it seemed very appropriate for discussion here. I'll be interested to see where this thread goes.
I know I have to read Philebus, but I'm not looking forward to it. I have to say that
"pleasure has no limit so that means it can't be THE good"
doesn't even seem relevant to me! The reason pleasure is "the good" is because it is the thing to which everything else points and the reason we do everything. We are virtuous because it brings us pleasure. We make wise decisions to live pleasingly. We engage in some painful activities, knowing (we hope) more pleasure will come from our actions. It all points to pleasure.
I *know* Socrates will NOT abide those statements and will engage in word games and goal-post moving, and I expect the reading of Philebus will be an exercise in aggravation and frustration. But I know it'll need necessary at some point. Arrggh. Where's the honey on the rim of this cup of wormwood? 
Epicurus's instructions to commit his epitomes, summaries, and principal Doctrines to memory suggests to me some kind of repetition in the process of memorization. I've personally used silently repeating the Tetrapharmakos in Greek in meditation and it's worked well to focus the mind.
I also (I think) said elsewhere that meditation helps one learn to gain a certain sense of the pleasure of ataraxia. And I maintain it's easier to make sound choices and rejections if one is able to make decisions with a focused, undistracted mind. Meditation can be a *tool* toward the end of living a pleasurable life.
I am not a regular meditator by any means but it is one of the things I seem to return to repeatedly.
1. Keep a journal
Yes! I couldn't agree more! I've been an on again off again journal keeper for going on - oh my - 30(!) years. I started shortly after my daughter was born to remember things she did, but it's grown into more than that over the years. It has been an endless source of joy to look back and relive moments forgotten in the hustle and bustle of daily life.
In the front of my current journal volume, I've written:
τοῦ γεγονότος ἀμνήμων ἀγαθοῦ γέρων τήμερον γεγένηται.
(Which of course is VS19 "He who forgets the good things he had yesterday becomes an old man today.")
I thought it would be appropriate
2. Go for a walk.
Yes again!! We've always enjoyed walking, and that has been about all we've been able to do during this pandemic.
For those who enjoy walks, I discovered the AllTrails app and website back around March 2020. We've discovered numerous trails near our house that we never works I have known existed. One of the most used apps on my phone. Can't recommend more highly: https://www.alltrails.com/
3. Stargaze
Yes yet again. There's something about staring up into the night sky to provide perspective on one's place in the universe. Goal this year: visit a nearby Dark Park to view a meteor shower! And the aside about the photons from Alpha Centauri was great! btw SO excited to have read the Webb Telescope has fully deployed and is safely in its way to L2!!!
4. Have lunch with an old friend
Sadly, no able to do this nearly enough.
Plus the rest of your spot-on suggestions, Joshua ! Your post was perfect. Thank you for sharing these and for bringing Epicurean philosophy right down to the grassroots level! Ευχαριστώ!! Thank you!
Don so what do you conclude to be the closest modern calendar equivalent?
I like the Hellenion one I initially linked to. That's the one I "follow."
