COFFEE WITH EPICURUS OR COFFEE WITH GOD THE FATHER?

Abstract

This article proposes a philosophical reflection on different conceptions of happiness and spirituality based on the metaphor “Coffee with Epicurus or coffee with God the Father.” The discussion starts from the idea that philosophy can be, as in Epicurus, a way of life oriented toward the liberation from suffering, in contrast to a theistic spirituality that seeks salvation and transcendence. The text analyzes the tension between moderate pleasure and Epicurean serenity and the Christian model of submission and faith, discussing their ethical and existential implications in contemporary life. It concludes that philosophy, when lived as a spiritual exercise, offers practical paths of liberation and the construction of meaning for human existence.