In my studies into programming, I recently stumbled upon this odd bit of Latin known as a text titled: “On the Ends of Good and Evil” AKA; “De finibus bonorum et malorumin” .

I will now give my own attempt to provide insight into the meaning of the following Latin text:     

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.”

Here’s what I found on a basic understanding, provided via series of previous attempts to give meaning to the text:

Starting here, let’s take this apart: “Grow yourself(and your life), and (do not fight) the (experience of pain) but allow sorrow to be, and pursue it, wishing for its acquisition. Through understanding this, you might hold to understanding the opposite, which is the meaning of pleasure, and enjoy those things that bring it.”

Then;

“Now apathy has disturbed the search for understanding, and become a burden. Seeking that which brings true joy(by leaning into that pain), a life lived in search of pain(a partnership with a person), yet fierce and harsh, might bring that which brings joy to many, a new (understanding of)life. May a judge be one who is blameless and casts aside for the sake of understanding the subjects of wrath, vanity,  and hate, and not hold to them even a bit, lest the meaning become obscured to them that seek it.”

“Let they who seek peace also while in favor of understanding (strife). Endeavor to enjoy the company of scoundrels, but think not of them as entirely deficient of substance in of themselves. Though a drunk may be a nuisance, their shenanigans oft provide a good laugh.”

In seeking and acquiring knowledge of the understanding of the pain of and during their mortal time on Earth, might the temple (of the mind) be made perfect for carrying (comprehending) the underlying meaning of what a good life entails, and enjoy it even if they cannot have all that which they seek.”

Now to add my piece: “For though life is fleeting, and not all may be attained in this lifetime, it is this knowledge that should provide the man’s to savor that you do have, lest life become burdensome and you seek to cut it short, and dimish the story of your existence.” 

This basically means that you don’t seek pain for the sake of pain, because it is pain. But you seek pain to gain greater appreciation for the things in life that bring joy.

I hope this helps someone. To clarify, No I didn’t use AI to do this, I simply enjoy the study of philosophy lol.

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