Joseph Epstein ponders the advice of Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270 B.C.):
To summarize, then: forget about God, death, pain and acquisition, and your worries are over. There you have it, Epicurus’ Four-Step Program to eliminate anxiety and attain serenity. I’ve not kitchen-tested it myself, but my guess is that, if one could bring it off, this program really would work. But the real question is, even if it did work, would such utter detachment from life, from its large questions and daily dramas, constitute a life rich and complex enough to be worth living? Many people would say yes. I am myself not among them.
Today, Epicurus would advise us all to get an Internet addiction. Pushes everything else out of your mind until you are dead and miserable.