The Cheaper Your Pleasure The Richer You’ll be.

Epicurus, an ancient Greek philosopher, held the belief that extravagant pleasures were unnecessary for happiness. Costly, luxurious vacations, amassing excessive wealth and possessions, and the pursuit of power through politics, he argued, wouldn't lead to enduring satisfaction. 

In fact, these pursuits often left people wanting more while depleting their time, energy, and, in some cases, their morality. Epicurus himself embraced a simple life, finding contentment in modest pleasures like light wine, bread, cheese, and philosophical discussions with friends.

The video titled 'Why Letting Go is True Wealth' aimed to present a philosophical perspective on minimalism. The term 'minimalism' is employed in various contexts. In music, it signifies a style characterized by simplicity, while minimalistic art employs simple and abstract forms. 

More recently, people have been embracing minimalism as a lifestyle, decluttering their possessions to eliminate unnecessary complexity from their lives. 

These various forms of minimalism share a common element: they use the minimum necessary to achieve a specific objective, whether it's creating beautiful music or art or fostering a comfortable living environment.

But can we extend this principle to our overall well-being? Is it possible to lead a happy, prosperous life without exhausting our resources? Can we find satisfaction without significant expenses, and can we achieve wealth with only the essentials? Numerous philosophers from history have pondered these questions. 

This video explores diverse perspectives on wealth, desire, and pleasure, and how being 'rich' can be remarkably affordable.

The poverty of rich.

Having substantial wealth and material possessions doesn't inherently equate to genuine richness. While this is often the case, it's not a universal truth. Wealthy individuals frequently desire to accumulate even more assets, all the while harboring fears of losing what they've acquired. 

This can lead to a stressful existence marked by distrust of others and, at times, social isolation from those who are less financially fortunate. While these individuals may successfully amass material wealth, it often comes at a significant cost. 

For example, someone working a grueling eighty-hour workweek often has little time for relaxation and even less time for family and friends – connections that Epicurus believed to be essential for well-being.

Furthermore, scientific research supports the notion that consistent overworking is detrimental to health. Studies published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine and the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine have shown that working extended hours for many years is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and other health issues. 

It's important to note that not all wealthy people overwork, and not all overworked individuals are affluent, but there is a correlation.

In his book "The Way of Chuang Tzu," author Thomas Merton presents variations of Zhuangzi's timeless sayings. 

The Taoist philosopher astutely observed the world's fixation on "money, reputation, long life, and achievement." Conversely, it condemns "lack of money, low social status, a reputation of ineptitude, and an early death." Over two millennia later, the core human values remain consistent: people relentlessly pursue what the world values and shun what it disdains. 

When they are deprived of their sought-after desires, panic and despair often set in. As Zhuangzi eloquently stated, their anxiety makes life unbearable, even when they possess the things they believe they want. 

The pursuit of wealth can turn life into an unbearable struggle, making them feel alienated from themselves and like they are slaves to their own pursuits.

The traditional idea of working hard to indulge in leisure and enjoyment raises the question: is the play truly worth the work? If it's not, and we opt not to chase what the world esteems, does it condemn us to a life of misery? Alternatively, can we discover more affordable pleasures that offer the same level of satisfaction?

The cheapest pleasure.

Some argue that the American transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau embodied the essence of minimalism. He spent two years living at Walden Pond in a modest cabin, furnished with only the essentials: a bed, desk, table, and a few chairs. 

Thoreau chronicled his experiences during this period, which were later published in the book titled "Walden." On March 11th, 1856, Thoreau expressed in his journal a sense of disdain for the pursuit of wealth and distant travel compared to the allure of a simple life amidst the streams, woods, and natural wonders of his own village. 

He believed that becoming accustomed to luxury, extravagant journeys, or the pleasures of fine wines and brandy would lead to these things growing in importance while simpler joys diminished. Such desires would demand increasingly costly indulgences to fulfill his needs. 

As an illustration, he remarked that exchanging the city of Paris for his hometown would be a "woeful exchange." This underscores how seeking luxury can result in the inconvenience and elevated cost of living. Enjoyable pastimes that were once accessible may fade into the background, regarded as mundane and insufficient to satisfy our desires. 

We become ensnared by expensive pleasures, which typically come with higher price tags. Moreover, some people may be captivated by the notion that the things they enjoy are "expensive," with the actual pleasure derived from these things being secondary.

Thoreau was attuned to the simple events and everyday occurrences around him, such as the sensory experiences during his daily strolls, conversations with neighbors, and the sight of marsh hawks in Concord meadows. He wrote, "In this sense, I am not ambitious. I do not wish my native soil to become exhausted and run out through neglect. 

Only that traveling is good which reveals to me the value of home and enables me to enjoy it better. That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest." We might say that true wealth doesn't come from having the most but from being content with what one possesses. 

Being consumed by insatiable desires leaves one impoverished, while contentment leads to richness. As the philosopher Epicurus once remarked, "If thou wilt make a man happy, add not unto his riches but take away from his desires."

So, what are these affordable pleasures that Thoreau speaks of, and how can we relish life without significant cost? The notion of "pleasure" varies for each person, and whether something is considered "cheap" depends on one's circumstances. 

The 19th-century author, geologist, and evolutionary thinker Robert Chambers, for instance, believed that reading is an inexpensive source of pleasure, stating, "Reading, in fact, is nowadays almost as free as air. It would thus appear that all the best pleasures are the cheapest. 

Nature seems to tell us that we have only to restrain our wishes to what is good, pure, and elevating, in order to be satisfied without cost." This aligns with Arthur Schopenhauer's perspective on pleasure. 

In one of his essays, he contended that the highest pleasures are those of the intellect, such as thought, a taste for poetry, learning, reading, and meditation. Schopenhauer believed that all other pleasures, which aren't intellectual in nature, were of a lower order and were typically accompanied by suffering. 

Intellectual pleasures are often very affordable, and in today's world, those who appreciate them are fortunate as intellectual nourishment is readily available and usually free of cost. However, even what Schopenhauer classifies as "lower" pleasures can be enjoyed without great expense. 

For instance, relishing a good meal doesn't need to be costly if you prepare it yourself, especially when it's a simple and modest meal, in line with Epicurus' philosophy. The cost of going for a walk may be limited to the expenditure of some muscular energy, making it an essentially cost-free activity.

The best of all.

Which pleasures are not only delightful but also budget-friendly? Epicurus might offer a solution to this query. His philosophy distinguished between kinetic pleasures and katastematic pleasures. Kinetic pleasures require action to fulfill a desire, like dining at a restaurant when hungry. 

Katastematic pleasures, on the other hand, occur once a desire has been satisfied, such as the moment when one is no longer hungry. Epicurus believed that the most superior pleasures are the passive ones, essentially the absence of discomfort, or in simpler terms, contentment. 

Parallel to Schopenhauer's view on pleasure, Epicurus contended that kinetic pleasures demand considerable effort and can potentially be fraught with danger. The degree of effort and risk varies according to the specific pleasure in question. 

For instance, opening the refrigerator and taking out some food requires minimal effort and is typically not very hazardous. In contrast, traveling the world necessitates earning and saving substantial sums of money, navigating from place to place, negotiating with various people, and ensuring personal safety in foreign lands. 

Katastematic pleasure, conversely, demands no effort whatsoever; it's the pure feeling of contentment once our needs are met. 

Schopenhauer similarly acknowledged that happiness predominantly comprises "peace of mind and contentment." However, to achieve this, one must grapple with a powerful aspect of human nature, which he referred to as the 'will-to-live.' Taming this impulse is a formidable challenge and likely beyond the reach of the vast majority of humanity.

So, how can we attain katastematic pleasure? Is it possible to experience contentment frequently without adopting an ascetic lifestyle? If Thoreau, Chambers, Schopenhauer, Zhuangzi, and Epicurus were alive today, they might concur that satisfying ourselves through simple, affordable pleasures is our optimal approach. 

These pleasures are readily available and easily accessible, sparing us from the stress that would accompany the pursuit of scarce and expensive pleasures as the sole means to satiate our desires. 

The more economical our preferred pleasures, the less time and effort we need to secure them, and the more we relish a state of not longing for anything more. If that doesn't epitomize the ultimate form of minimalism, what does?