Epicurean Carpe Diem

For me personally, the lecture on the Epicureans brought new meaning to the trite phrase "live each moment to the fullest," or any such phrase to that effect. After hearing those words over and over again for years and years, the phrase had become devoid of almost any significance, however the lecture has restored any meaning that had perhaps been lost through repition. Personally I find the construction of the reality of the world around us as simply a series of moments which are individually infinite extremely interesting. If you live according to the message that 'the only moment that is is right now'-and you focus on the quality of pleasure in any one singular moment versus the quantity of pleasure over however many other moments-you can be a much happier person. This view of the world allows one to let go of any feelings of guilt, regret, or shame for past mistakes as well as any fear, uncertainty, or anxiety associated with the future. I also like the idea that in any one moment, we can be infinite and our happiness can be infinite. This particular idea reminds me of one of the most striking lines from The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a novel written by Stephen Chbosky, which reads: "And in that moment, I swear we were infinite." For me, this simple line evokes such strong emotion; it elicits the feeling of the most true, limitless happiness. I believe the essence of the Epicurean Carpe Diem is just to allow yourself to be as happy as you can in any given moment by limiting pain, not taking a single moment for granted, never postponing pleasure or happiness, and making sure to recognize the pleasure of simply existing in the only moment, the current moment.