What Did the Greeks Think Was Worth Having?

<p><span>Dear Classical Wisdom Reader,</span></p><p><span>What do you really need to live a good life?</span></p><p><span>If you were to believe the various social media influencers, you might think it’s a luxury home, or a nicely designed kitchen... It might be flawless skin or fantastic football skills...</span></p><p><span>But are those really the things that lead to a </span><em><span>good</span></em><span> life?</span></p><p><span>You won’t be surprised to know that the ancient Greeks had plenty of thoughts on the matter.</span></p><p><span>In fact, they spent an extraordinary amount of time asking what makes a human life genuinely </span><em><span>good</span></em><span>. And of course, they didn’t always agree.</span></p><p><span>Aristotle called it </span><em><span>eudaimonia</span></em><span>, usually translated as “happiness” (though </span><em><span>flourishing</span></em><span> comes much closer). He believed it is achieved through active, rational living, in accordance with virtue.</span></p><p><span>Epicurus thought we vastly overestimated how much we need to be happy... that simple pleasures can lead to a fulfilling life. Enjoying your cup of coffee at the right temperature, that sort of thing. </span></p><p><span>The Stoics went further still, arguing that wealth, possessions and status could never guarantee a good life... rather, living virtuously and according to nature was all that is required.</span></p><p><span>While they disagreed </span>about the details,<span> and sometimes spectacularly so, there was one persistent idea running through much of ancient philosophy…</span></p><p><strong><span>A good life isn’t something you </span></strong><em><strong><span>own</span></strong></em><strong><span>…it is something you </span></strong><em><strong><span>live</span></strong></em><strong><span>.</span></strong></p><p><span>It can be found in friendship and conversation or exercising the mind by contemplating difficult questions or enjoying deep reading. It flourishes when we actively cultivate ourselves and try, however imperfectly, to become a little wiser.</span></p><p><span>But that, of course, does not fit neatly on a Tick Tok reel or a Facebook meme.</span></p><p><span>The reality is most of us do spend an awful lot of time and money improving the </span><em><span>things</span></em><span> around us. Someone is renovating their kitchen, while another is upgrading their car. Phones are replaced, new clothes bought, and there is always something newer, shinier, faster or prettier to be had.</span></p><p><span>And there’s nothing wrong with any of that... I mean, I certainly wouldn’t </span><em><span>object</span></em><span> to a beautiful kitchen… (plumbers usually wince when they see our sink…)</span></p><p><span>But how often do we invest the same amount into the </span><em><span>experiences</span></em><span> that make up our lives? After all, there are so many wonderful places to see, books to read, and life-changing conversations to be had...</span></p><p><span>You know the kind that just opens your eyes and sticks with you for years...</span></p><p><span>It’s remarkably easy to put those off until later... to follow instead the siren call of the immediately enjoyable (which is often just mere distraction).</span></p><p><span>The trouble, of course, is that ‘later’ has an irritating habit of staying that way... and sadly, we often forget or are too busy to make our ‘laters’ now.</span></p><p><strong><span>So sometimes, when the right opportunity comes along... it’s a moment to pause and decide whether it’s worth making room for.</span></strong></p><p><span>Which brings me to Greece… and a very unique experience we think you might like to a be part of... </span></p><p><span>You see, next April, Classical Wisdom readers have the opportunity to do something rather unusual... to travel through Greece and Turkey not simply to see the ancient world as a tourist might, but to immerse oneself in it more fully…</span></p><p><span>We’ll visit extraordinary places such as Samos and Ephesus, walk through landscapes where some of the ideas we still wrestle with today first took shape, and explore them alongside scholars – including the world-renowned classics professor, Angie Hobbs – as well as a small group of fellow travelers who share that same curiosity about the ancient world.</span></p><div><figure><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/%24s_!WcA_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a5b6528-1eae-47e4-90f4-fdbfdd8d30dc_960x600.jpeg"></a><div><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/%24s_!WcA_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a5b6528-1eae-47e4-90f4-fdbfdd8d30dc_960x600.jpeg"></a><source type="image/webp"><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/%24s_!WcA_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a5b6528-1eae-47e4-90f4-fdbfdd8d30dc_960x600.jpeg"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/%24s_!WcA_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a5b6528-1eae-47e4-90f4-fdbfdd8d30dc_960x600.jpeg" width="960" height="600" alt=""></a></source><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/%24s_!WcA_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a5b6528-1eae-47e4-90f4-fdbfdd8d30dc_960x600.jpeg"></a><div><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/%24s_!WcA_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a5b6528-1eae-47e4-90f4-fdbfdd8d30dc_960x600.jpeg"></a><div><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/%24s_!WcA_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a5b6528-1eae-47e4-90f4-fdbfdd8d30dc_960x600.jpeg"></a></div><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/%24s_!WcA_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a5b6528-1eae-47e4-90f4-fdbfdd8d30dc_960x600.jpeg"></a></div><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/%24s_!WcA_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a5b6528-1eae-47e4-90f4-fdbfdd8d30dc_960x600.jpeg"></a></div><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/%24s_!WcA_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a5b6528-1eae-47e4-90f4-fdbfdd8d30dc_960x600.jpeg"></a><figcaption><span>Described by the ancient Greek historian </span><strong>Herodotus</strong><span> as the </span><strong>8th wonder of the ancient world</strong><span> the aqueduct is no doubt one of the finest achievements of ancient civil engineering.</span></figcaption></figure></div><p><span>You certainly don’t need to travel across the Mediterranean to pursue wisdom. Some of life’s greatest journeys can happen inside a book, or over a long conversation at the dinner table. Travel isn’t something everyone can, or necessarily wants to, do…</span></p><p><span>But if you </span><em><span>are</span></em><span> in a position to take advantage of this unique opportunity, the experience of a lifetime awaits you… something far beyond the fleeting, consumerist pleasures of the “things that end up owning us.”</span></p><p><span>Because a new kitchen will eventually become an old kitchen… and a shiny new car will become a clunker.</span></p><p><span>But experiences, like a fine wine, do the opposite. They actually become </span><em><span>more</span></em><span> valuable with time. </span></p><p><span>Whether it’s the places we’ve seen or the people we’ve met... the conversations that changed our minds or the visions of beauty we behold....</span></p><p><span>...these experiences we carry with us. Always. </span></p><p><span>If this sounds like the sort of journey you’ve been waiting to take, I encourage you to take a look at our next Classical Wisdom voyage, departing April of 2027. </span></p><p><strong><span>Discover Our Classical Wisdom Voyage Here:</span></strong></p><p><a href="https://classicalwisdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/v07.-CLWI_A-Journey-Through-Greece-and-Turkey_Apr.12-22-2027_Blue-Zephyr.pdf"><span>Discover More Here</span></a></p><p>I hope you can join us. </p><p>All the best,</p><p>Anya Leonard<br>Founder and Director<br>Classical Wisdom</p> <p><a href="https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/p/what-did-the-greeks-think-was-worth" target="_blank">- Enlace a artículo -</a></p> <p>Más info en https://ift.tt/qSGLEtv / Tfno. & WA 607725547 Centro MENADEL (Frasco Martín) Psicología Clínica y Tradicional en Mijas. #Menadel #Psicología #Clínica #Tradicional #MijasPueblo</p> <p>*No suscribimos necesariamente las opiniones o artículos aquí compartidos. No todo es lo que parece.</p>