A book review
“On the Shortness of Life” by Seneca
Life is long if you know how to use it
I started reading personal development books as a means to formulate long-lasting habits, cultivate better values and as a tool for goal-setting. And in this process, I consider myself extremely lucky to have stumbled across Stoicism and it’s timeless lessons.
I, first came across stoicism in the podcast Philosophize this by Stephen West. With the episodes being incredibly witty, the host distills age-old philosophies into pocket-sized lessons that find relevance even today. It’s surprising how innocent curiosity can lead you down lanes full of magic and wonder. And the more I started exploring stoicism, the more I realized that in its teachings, we might already have the best personal development lessons to lean on and its almost 2300 years old.
“On the shortness of life”, a moral essay by Seneca the Younger is a testament to my earlier remark. Timeless wisdom and brutally honest, in this book, I found myself question how I spend my days and in extension the moments that make up my life. Seneca’s most famous quote comes from this essay.
“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.”
Before delving into the intricacies of the book, a bit of background for context. The first essay, the most famous of the three in the book and the object of this article is addressed to Paulinus, an official who oversaw the grain supply of Rome. Seneca advises Paulinus to transition from taking stock of the gain supply to taking stock of his life and this imploration is the source for all the lessons that one can learn from the book. But who exactly was this Seneca?
Seneca was one of the three most important Stoic philosophers, along with Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus. He is also infamous for serving as an advisor to Nero, one of the cruelest emperors in Roman history. He is best known for this essay but also for his Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium, better known as Moral Letters to Lucilius(On my list to read).
In the following section, you will find key lessons from the essay, timeless quotes along with my personal touch, if your patience holds out till the end.
Seneca argues that we spend our days with the delusion that we are going to live forever. He cautions us on the pursuit of meaningless pleasure and more importantly, unworthy company and through it, how we waste away our most important asset which is time.
“In guarding their fortune men are often closefisted, yet, when it comes to the matter of wasting time, in the case of the one thing in which it is right to be miserly, they show themselves most extravagant.”
I spent the latter part of 2017 and the early part of 2018 in a state of flux. I had just graduated college, was 9 months into work and time had just sped away leaving me in its wake wondering where all the tiny moments went.
My work although fulfilling still left a void on the weekdays after office hours and especially so on weekends. I wilted away the extra time binge-watching on Netflix, scrolling away on social media and other meaningless pursuits which in retrospect numbed the night and boredom away till the day began once again. I did what any reasonable 22-year old would do at that time. And no, it wasn’t drugs. I just dived into work and forgot everything else.
When I looked back on those days, I realized I had traded my time in unfulfilling leisure and quite frankly, unwanted distractions. I realized albeit amongst many a trial and error that how we spend our days is quite frankly how we spend our lives and the quality of our lives do depend on the quality of our days. And whilst reading this essay, Seneca’s reprimanding was remarkably relatable
“You live as if you were destined to live forever, no thought of your frailty ever enters your head, of how much time has already gone by you take no heed. You squander time as if you drew from a full and abundant supply, though all the while that day which you bestow on some person or thing is perhaps your last.”
So that is exactly what I decided to do. To Spend my time in trying to be who I wished to become. And that meant not wasting time!
These days, I try to work out 5 times a week. I am 12 books into a 52-week 52 book challenge. I finally kickstarted my blogging career whilst also pursuing a distance learning master’s degree in Engineering, all the while experimenting more at work and exploring my interests more and more.
Getting here wasn’t easy. But what worked was being mindful about the little moments that made up my day and a personal choice and decision on how I spend them. And although I get more things wrong than right, I can honestly say I am happier now than before and that for me is a win.
But how did I arrive at this? Well, Seneca had something to say about that too-
“The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today. You are arranging what lies in Fortune’s control and abandoning what lies in yours. What are you looking at? To what goal are you straining? The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.”
With crystal clarity, Seneca asks us to practice mindfulness. To live each moment like it’s last. To live in the immediate and to make each moment count. And it’s these moments that make up a life. Master Oogway also said it best “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift… that’s why they call it the present.”
I, personally learned how to be more mindful at work, at the gym, at home with family and even on social interactions with my peers. And at the core of it, I practice “Wherever you are, be there”. That’s all it ever takes. Sounds easy right? Well, some things just are.
In hindsight, I only wish I had picked up this book sooner. But I am glad that I did, rather than later. It doesn’t teach us anything new but it does remind us of the bitter truths of life we too often tend to overlook and forget. Pick up this book and lose yourself to a thought-provoking read!
