In Brief:
According to the documentary " Epicurus lived from 341-270 B.C, but his ideas seem to be quite modern. According to the positive psychology movement, Epicurus was on the right track. In addition to friends and freedom, Epicurus believed that a person needed time to step back and examine their life, something Socrates also encouraged.. The practice of fasting and self-inflicted suffering as a means to happiness would be completely foreign to Epicurus and indeed even the Catholic St. Jerome issued a warning about pride connected with these practices, "Be on your guard when you begin to mortify your body by abstinence and fasting, lest you imagine yourself to be perfect and a saint; for perfection does not consist in this virtue..
