Fragments & Letters - an old article from an old blog. Hope you enjoy it!
- Marisa Mestiço
- Oct 9
- 3 min read
EPICURIO X ASTERIX
There are many certainties in the world, and the greatest certainty is doubt. (Bertolt Brecht)
The world is throbbing with the destruction of civilization, and evolved beings are gradually returning to the origins of their ancestors. The struggle now is to survive the chaos, conflicts that time could not keep up with. Humans are exorcising knowledge and strengthening their ignorance.
The Epicurean vision of this world, which, amidst a changing civilization, finds that evil plagues everyone, proposes a reflection on social values. Wisdom is the primary remedy for curing this disease, which pertains to rational beings.
(...) Today, most men are sick, as if from an epidemic, due to false beliefs about the world, and the evil is aggravated because, through imitation, they transmit each other's ills, like sheep. Furthermore, it is only right to bring help that will come after us. They too are ours, though not yet born. Love for humanity leads us to help the strangers who may pass through here. Since the good message of the book has already been disseminated, I decided to use this wall to publicly expose humanity's remedy.
The screenwriter's approach, emphasizing the primitive setting with ideas reminiscent of postmodern societies, makes reading a comical journey. Epicurean thought brought to mind the fantasy that surrounds happiness as a materialized part of humankind. In "The Dominion of the Gods," it's no different; the characters draw analogies to Epicurean discomfort with appearances, especially in the social sphere. The luxury of the gods' condominium actually ends up being the common good for the Romans, but it also doesn't hide the discontent of those who refuse, out of fear or disinterest, to be part of this world of superficiality.
Epicurus, noting similarities between communities, first proposes pharmakon, the medicine of knowledge. But it is through deep observation that he arrives at the tretrapharmakkon, where he gathers elements to help civilization heal itself of the superstitions imposed by the relationship between master and obedience—a medicine to create wise men free from illusions, transforming humankind into beings with a vocation for pleasure and joy, ceasing to be manipulated as objects; this emptiness prevents us from caring for our souls.
“There is nothing to fear from the gods. There is nothing to fear from death. One can achieve happiness. One can endure pain.”
In this climate, it's possible to understand the alienation that man has in the relationship between his life and soul, as if numbed by the habit of suffering. Another situation is the strong connection between disciple and master, at the intellectual level of the exchange of information and teachings, and unconsciously, imitation is inevitable.
"- What are we going to do, Druid? - You will put one of these acorns in each of these holes... They are simple seeds that I will bring with one of my little portions. - Is this good? - You could have done it more austerely, but there it is. - Prodigious! - Why? It is an oak like the others. - But did you see how fast it grew? - Well. It is the first time I have seen an oak grow, so I do not know how fast they normally grow."
In the section "The Swan and the Swallow," he emphasizes the strengthening of the relationship between master and disciples, with the union now perpetuated by common cause, not just admiration; wisdom describes a line of knowledge capable of providing its followers with answers. As we saw above, Epicurus makes the differences clear regarding wisdom and the two interpretations, as the soul is a culminating element of philosophical development, while for Obelix, matter is impressive, while Asterix absorbs the essence of his master.
The obsession with domination makes success an exhausting pursuit, and wounded pride blinds logical reasoning. A blind person is always more vulnerable to conformity or rebellion, meaning they lack knowledge. Wisdom that liberates opens the window of values, unlike the false satisfaction imposed by the state.
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