The Epicurean and Philosopher's Comparisons

Epicureans are pessimistic about the chances of common cultural norms having got their values correct. They often talk about beliefs that people acquire just by knocking around in society as a kind of illness that they cause pain and they infect others. The Epicurean say look would that really make your life pain free better? And clearly the sensible thing to do is not to try and remove the pain of that desire by desperately striving to achieve and acquire the thing but just to stop wanting it in the first place. To give up desiring those kinds of honors.