To Epicurean or To Stoicism

Doing epicureanism for a week after doing stoicism was very interesting and informative. The activities from the epicurialism week were more focused on actual actions, whether it was taking a walk, looking at a painting, or taking a nap. In comparison, stoicism was mainly focused on introspection, where they reflected on writings and messages. Furthermore, stoicism included work in the morning, middle of the day, and at night. Epicureanism had the main activity throughout the day and a gratitude journal. I enjoyed the activities a lot. I found the nap and walk very helpful. On the walk, I enjoyed seeing the trees, hearing the birds chirping, and feeling the beautiful sun and temperature. Afterward, I do have a desire to go and spend time outside. I also enjoyed the nap. It was beneficial to take a mental break from work, allowing me to recharge and prepare to be more productive later. The truth and perception I found interesting as it seemed similar to other psychological solutions of helping people be in the moment and stop worrying about the future. During the truth and perception, I found that the surfaces were what I excepted. I had hot ramen, cold air conditioning, rough walls, and smooth sheets. It is interesting that both stoicism and epicurialism included solutions and activities in psychology. The main things from my gratitude journal were that I no longer have covid and enjoy time with friends. The scrapbook also had my gratitude for video games, sunsets, and my girlfriend. I also found around campus, the common room window, the trees, the art. Most of the reasons these things are in my scrapbook are sentimental or essential reasons. Overall, I think I enjoyed stoicism more than epicurialism. I enjoyed trying to accept what I could and could not control. It helped make my life more relaxed overall. I also enjoyed epicurialism, but it wasn’t as calming as stoicism was. It did help me focus on the beauty around me, though, compared to stoicism. Seeing nature and beauty in objects and people around me was fascinating. The gratitude journal is also an interesting foil to the stoicism journal. The stoicism journal helped relax and calm down on you. Compared to gratitude in general, it focused more on happy emotions and overall goodness.

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