Epicurus on possessions and freedom

This is nice

“A free life cannot acquire many possessions, because this is not easy to do without servility to mobs or monarchs.”
– Epicurus, greek philosopher, 341-271 bce.

I enjoyed that besides the bliss of having a simple life with few things, and the worries and enslavement that comes with having too many things – there is also the problematic process of achieving all these possessions. First thing that springs to mind is wrong type of work with wrong types of people and at crosses with your deeper values in life.

Or in general just too much work and too little life and spare-time hobbies.

You could translate the “mobs” to social press and the “monarchs” to bosses, both to which servility is sometimes practical and often necessary – but nevertheless little by little eats your self-esteem and general well-being.

Hidden in there is also the point that freedom from striving towards new possessions is also a freedom from the means to get there. Let go of the race, and you’ll find that the race might actually be the problem.

De Vega on nice living rooms.

This one is nice

“With a few flowers in my garden, half a dozen pictures and some books, I live without envy.”
– Lope de Vega (1562-1635), spanish writer.

Simple, down-to-earth, and fits my livingroom well. A calm and peaceful life.