I couldn’t not continue yesterday’s piece on Epicurus, the ancient Greek philosopher of human happiness, without mentioning the Friends of Epicurean Philosophy group “The Garden of Lysi” and its work in Cyprus in recent years, centred on Epicurus’s ideas.
The timing of the upcoming parliamentary elections of May 2026 is significant, as it brings back to mind a pioneering event — pioneering by Cypriot political and party standards — that the group organised in Larnaca four years ago. It was held in honour of ten candidates from Lysi, seven men and three women, standing for various parties and political groupings in the previous parliamentary elections of 2021.
The event took place after those elections, by which point only one of the ten had been elected: Nikos Kettiros.
With just a few weeks to go before this year’s elections, I want to share a short excerpt from the speech delivered by the group’s founder and coordinator, neurologist-psychiatrist Dr Kyriacos Veresies — a speech that mattered for its self-evident truth, at a time when nothing is self-evident. A time when modern communications, for all their extraordinary reach, often push people further apart rather than bringing them closer together.
“We, the friends of Epicurean Philosophy,” said Dr Veresies, “far from political confrontation and positioning, try to promote and preserve an ethic of social and political contribution, rather than criticising from a safe distance and throwing stones at politics and politicians from afar. This is an indirect strengthening of democratic institutions, because belief in politics and in the people who serve it breeds security and leads citizens towards greater participation in the electoral process.
“We value the willingness of the people of Lysi to contribute, and we are certain that even if it does not find expression through the seats of parliament, it will continue to be expressed through other bodies and personal opportunities. The community of Lysi, despite having lived through discord and confrontation in difficult times past, has managed to preserve an ethic of political tolerance and cohesion — one we are proud of — led by progressive people from across the political spectrum. It is this spirit of mutual respect that we wish to leave as our legacy to future generations.”
Dr Veresies’s remarks were reinforced by the observation of academic Dr Christos Giapitzakis, a founding member of the Friends of Epicurean Philosophy group “The Garden of Athens,” who said in his greeting at the event that “in sharp contrast to the pervasive psychopathology and the divisive, combative political climate of our times, we continue the peace-loving tradition of the Epicureans of antiquity into our own day”…
