I HOPE FOR NOTHING. I FEAR NOTHING. I AM FREE

Epitaph on the tomb of Nikos Kazantzakis in Heraklion: Δεν ελπίζω τίποτε. Δεν φοβούμαι τίποτε. Είμαι λεύτερος; I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free. Kazantzakis was an amazing man who lived from 1883 to 1957. He is probably universally, best known for his novel Zorba the Greek. While his philosophy reflected the religious and psychological times in which he lived, he left us with an epitaph of inspiration to us all.

In these trying political times in the United States, as I have stopped watching our American media, for the most part, other than our local news, because of the biases that are just too infuriating to bear, the epitaph seems most fitting. The three thoughts all have to be seen in connected fashion. People have embraced an Audicity of Hope. It is not clear what it means that audacity and hope are seen as mutually inclusive. Hope is best when ingested with reality. Kazantzakis freed himself of the two greatest elements to pull one down, disillusionment and fear. Indeed, freedom comes with knowing yourself, being independent and unafraid. To stay unafraid, one must accept reality in the same way one can accept what is now known as the Serenity Prayer. The most famously known part is the first paragraph: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

This has brought on parodies like the Senility Prayer:

Lord, grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the people I do like and the eyesight to tell the difference.

To me, the central theme in all of this: we all long and wish for some control of our lives, the quality with which we live them, the gratifications we require to carry on living with a sense of self-esteem, and freedom from fear, panic and anxiety. While Kazantzakis has this on his epitaph, we assume that all of us might reach this state upon our deaths. However, to achieve this in life is a real challenge, a goal for which we may all strive.