Sometime before 270 BCE, Epicurus had the following thought which marks the outline of everyone’s unique journey.
“I was not; I was; I am not; I do not mind.”
This thought is used in chapter 11 of “30 Philosophers” to explore epicurean thoughts on our fear of death. It reflects that death is either not relevant to us because we are alive, or it is not something we can experience because we are dead. Therefore, there is no reason to fear death or to be anxious about the possibility of not existing after death. This idea marks the outline of our sentient journey.
The following is sometimes labelled the “Epicurus Epitaph,” though no tombstone of his is known to have had this inscription. In a letter to Menoeceus about 300 BCE, translated from Greek, Epicurus wrote,
“Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist.”
It succinctly summarize his teachings on death. When the conversation gets around to someone expressing fear in not existing, I introduce this idea as a talking point in chapter 11. I don’t claim it’s for everyone, just a perspective worth contemplating which can help with the fear of death.
