Tag: Epicurus

In the whirlwind of our ever-demanding lives, it’s easy to fall into the trap of constantly yearning for more – more success, more possessions, more experiences.

However, the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus offers a timeless piece of wisdom:

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

This profound statement underlines the importance of gratitude and contentment.

Let’s explore this concept through three relatable examples.

### 1. **The Career Ladder Climb**

Imagine Sarah, a young, ambitious marketing executive.

She worked tirelessly to land her current position at a renowned firm.

During her university years, she dreamed of this day – working with big brands, earning a respectable salary, and being part of a dynamic team.

However, now immersed in her job, Sarah often finds herself enviously eyeing the higher managerial roles, feeling restless and unsatisfied.

Here, Epicurus’ quote serves as a gentle reminder for Sarah to appreciate her journey and achievements.

Not long ago, she yearned for exactly what she has now.

By refocusing on the present, acknowledging her hard work and the goals she has already attained, Sarah can find fulfillment and joy in her current role, even as she ambitiously plans for the future.

### 2. **The Pursuit of Material Wealth**

Consider the story of Alex, who once dreamed of owning a luxury car.

After years of saving, he finally purchases his dream vehicle.

Yet, within months, the excitement fades.

Alex starts noticing even more expensive and luxurious cars on the road, and his once-dream car no longer brings him the same joy.

Epicurus’ philosophy highlights the fleeting nature of such desires.

Alex’s initial longing for the car was a source of motivation and excitement, but once attained, it quickly lost its luster.

The lesson here is about finding a balance between aspiration and contentment.

While it’s natural to desire nice things, it’s equally important to cherish and appreciate what we have achieved and possess.

### 3. **Personal Relationships and Social Media Envy**

Finally, let’s talk about Emily, an avid social media user.

She often finds herself scrolling through posts, feeling envious of others’ seemingly perfect relationships, vacations, and lifestyles.

This envy overshadows her own happy, loving relationship and enjoyable life experiences.

In this scenario, Epicurus’ words remind Emily to appreciate the real-life connections and moments she cherishes.

The joy and satisfaction in her life can easily be overshadowed by the allure of what others have.

Recognizing the value in her experiences and relationships, the ones she once longed for, can bring back the joy and gratitude that social media envy often diminishes.

### Conclusion

Epicurus’ statement is more than just a call to be grateful; it’s a profound insight into human psychology.

It’s about recognizing the beauty in what we have now, remembering our past desires, and finding contentment in the present.

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t aspire for more, but rather, we should not let our future ambitions cloud the appreciation of our current blessings.

By mastering this art of appreciation, we can lead more fulfilling and happier lives.

Ao Akua,

Dr. Joe Vitale

As you know – if you’ve been following this blog – I’ve been testing ChatGPT. I’m not overly impressed yet but it did help me create a cool e-book that I put on Amazon.

Basically I had the AI program write a dialogue between Seneca and Epicurus, two philosophers who never met in real life, in response to my sincere questions.

I thought the results were impressive. They were surprising, in-depth, useful, and seemed authentic.

You can find the e-book on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Pursuit-Tranquility-Secret-Dialogues-Epicurus-ebook/dp/B0C41253F8/

Enjoy.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – I wrote this blog post, not AI.

Thoughtline was an early “ChatGPT” AI program back in the 1990s.

It was based on the DOS system of the time and came on a disk.

I loved it.

I wrote about it in my book, Hypnotic Writing, because it was the first product I sold as a copywriter and direct marketer that actually made money for me.

I used it to help me think through articles, book chapters and even outlines for speaking gigs.

It was fun, stimulating, practical, and surreal.

It often felt almost human, like a real person was behind the system.

Of course, it also often felt clumsy, limited, and somewhat predictable.

But that was in the last century.

What about today?

I wanted to know how the current AI (Artificial Intelligence) programs are working to help us in 2023.

I wrote about ChatGPT last month.

I wasn’t impressed.

But I tested ChatGPT again.

I asked for a book recommendation.

I love reading about publicity stunts and outrageous publicists, especially those who came out of old Hollywood.

I have a collection of books by and about these flamboyant people, and of course I wrote a book on one of them (P.T. Barnum), but I wondered if there was something I might have missed.

So I asked ChatGPT for suggestions.

ChatGPT (3.5) surprised me.

It gave me several titles including, “Flack: True Tales from the Hollywood Trenches” by Dylan Landis.

I never heard of it.

I got excited.

I wanted to read it.

I looked on Amazon.

Nothing.

I looked on eBay.

Nothing.

I searched my favorite rare book sites.

Nothing.

I prompted for more info.

ChatGPT stood its ground: “The book was published in 2018.” 

I took that added information and dug deeper.

Still nothing.

I’m a book collector.

I can find rare books.

Why couldn’t I find this one?

I prompted ChatGPT yet again.

It apologized.

“I apologize for the confusion earlier. Upon double checking, I realized that I made an error in my previous response.”

The book doesn’t exist.

It doesn’t exist!?

Why would the system offer a book that doesn’t exist?

Use ChatGPT for fun but beware of using it for facts.

I posted an abbreviated version of this blog on my FB profile. One person said they were using ChatGPT to research legal cases and discovered many of the cases weren’t real.

Enjoy ChatGPT but don’t trust it.

For the record, when the fourth version of ChatGPT showed up last month, I tested it, too.

I was told it was far more accurate.

I was told to be clear in my prompts so the AI system could be clear in its answers.

I Tested 4.0

I asked for a few nonfiction books about famous songs and how they were written, in particular the classic song, “Smile.”

I knew Charlie Chaplin wrote the melody for a film of his called Modern Times. Decades later the lyrics were added by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons.

The result was the classic song everyone knows and the legends sing. (Even I recorded it on one of my singer-songwriter albums.)

But I wanted to know more.

Was there a history to the song?

Was there a book about it?

So I asked the wizard for a suggestion.

ChatGPT4 replied –

“Smile: The Story of Charlie Chaplin’s Lost Classic” by David Gritten.

I went bananas.

THAT’S the book I wanted to read!

It sounded perfect.

So I went on my book search and – you guessed it – it doesn’t exist.

ChaptGPT4 made it up.

When I pushed back, the system again said –

“I apologize for the confusion. It appears there isn’t a book titled that.”

SIGH.

Again, don’t trust ChaptGPT, even the latest version is prone to writing fiction.

And since it seems like it wants to write creative material, I thought I would test it on writing a song.

So I went to ChatGPT-4 and prompted with this:

What do you think?

Is it good?

Well, it’s a song.

It’s not a great song.

It needs tweaked and polished.

But it’s actually a workable song, or at least the beginning of one.

So ChaptGPT wins points.

But.

Don’t turn off your brain.

Don’t surrender your awareness and discernment.

Don’t drop your common sense.

The system is probably great for brainstorming projects, but if you allow it to do your thinking, creating and writing, you may find yourself with passive writing, mediocre products, inaccurate info, and potentially in court.

Have fun with it.

After all, not having a book about the song Smile means I could potentially write one.

And the beginning of a song about our dog Cabi gives me something to work with.

So I can thank the system for those ideas.

But let’s test the system one more time.

Some people claim ChatGPT can write sales letters, ads, and other marketing materials.

Well, can it?

I again went to ChatGPT-4 and made a clear request:

What do you think?

Is that a good sales letter?

Are you sure?

One of the problems with using ChatGPT is knowing whether what it writes for you is actually any good or not.

How would you know if you don’t have the experience to recognize excellence or mediocrity?

Again, what do you think of the sales letter?

Here’s what I think:

It’s a very good letter.

It has all the key elements of a persuasive letter.

But it’s not a great letter.

It has lies, half truths, and misleading content.

There aren’t any step by step guidelines in the book.

Those testimonials in the letter are all fictional.

Like the song for Cabi, the letter is a good start. You can take it and work with it. It might save you time and trouble by giving you material to review rather than a blank page to stare at.

But don’t give it your mind.

Let’s do one more test.

I created a mental time travel program last year that helps people travel to the past to sit at the feet of some legend of long ago.

They can then ask questions, gain insights, and more.

I wondered what Seneca and Epicurus – representing two rival schools of thought – would discuss if they ever met.

Being a fictional scene, and AI seems to shine writing fiction, I thought this might yield interesting results.

So I went to ChatGPT-4 and prompted:

Well, what do you think?

I’ve studied both Seneca and Epicurus.

I’ve collected and read their ancient writings.

I find the fictional dialogue above illuminating and accurate.

But since I’m not an expert on Stoicism or Epicurism, I can’t say if the dialogue is 100% accurate or not.

Still, it’s a good beginning to a possible book, play, or movie.

If I wanted to, I could develop the dialogue (with AI’s help and my discernment) into a product.

With that in mind, I give ChaptGPT more points.

It impressed me and gave me something I didn’t have: a good start to my idea.

I’d be wary of just taking what it writes and running with it. It could be considered plagirism; after all, the program is pulling from existing content and allegedly creating new content from it.

But is it?

Turns out plagiarism is a potential issue with anything ChaptGPT “creates.”

There’s a program online you can use to check content.

You can check it out here.

Bottom line for me:

Use ChaptGPT for fun, as a kick starting device, for first drafts, but do not turn over your ability to reason, rewrite, or reject what it gives to you.

You’re smarter than it.

Right?

(Note: I wrote this post not ChatGPT.)

Expect Miracles.

Ao Akua,

Dr Joe Vitale