THE GREAT DIVIDE AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
I'm now thoroughly convinced that Epicureanism is THE antidote for the malaise we are experiencing in the present and will continue to experience especially in the US--the stress that stems largely from inequality, poverty, a sense of helplessness, lack of control, and the rest of the negative aspects of being at the bottom or middle of the status pole (where more and more people now or will find themselves). The strivers and achievers could benefit from this philosophy, but would largely find it mostly irrelevant. The following article, which is hidden behind a paywall on the NY Times, so I have pasted the entire essay, summarizes the negative effect on health that comes from a feeling of low self esteem. Neuroscience research is clearly finding the link between brain malfunctioning caused by a socioecomic anxiety and physical maladies. We are not going to shrink this gap like Finland has done largely because of its homogeneity. Instead we must learn to live with it, which i...