Mardi Gras and Epicureanism

Today as I was watching the mardi gras parade, I realized just how excessive Mardi Gras is. Don't get me wrong, I love the floats and the knick nacks and the costumes. But when I see people fighting each other for play toys, it makes me question the necessity of it all. My questioning of excess brought the philosophy Epicureanism to mind. Epicurus believed that though we should seek pleasure, we should never indulge in excess. In a world of complete and utter excess, we rarely think to ask ourselves if this or that is necessary. The throwing and catching of beads for example are completely unnecesary acts. But since we all desire possessing copious amounts of plastic jewelry, we not only want to catch beads, we feel that we need to catch beads. But Epicurus would warn us that pleasure due to excess will only result in an unhappy life. For the happiest man enjoys not material pleasures, but intellectual pleasures.