The World, According to Seneca
2,000 year old advice on fear and friendship.
“Vita sine litteris mors est” — Life without learning is death. The authenticity of Seneca’s words, despite being written almost 2,000 years ago, is easily apparent. Letters From a Stoic (officially Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium) offers insight into living the moral life, free of distraction and temptation but full of meaning.
Seneca focuses on the mind over the soul. The soul, while technically a part of us, is not truly our own. Souls are not for people, but rather, are for the divine. As such, Seneca is more concerned with our minds and our ability to think rationally.
Wisdom, the product of focusing our efforts on perfecting the mind, is about living in accordance with nature. Nature intends for us to live simply, devoid of temptations, desires, and hedonism. Wisdom permits the individual to transcend the trappings of daily life and the many obstacles in our way, including death.
Seneca notes that many of our fears are without merit. Death, for instance, is a natural part of life’s cycle. Why fear the natural?
Another fear experienced by many is the fear of poverty. Seneca offers a rather unique solution to this fear: voluntarily (and temporarily) become poor. Wear simple clothes and eat rotten food for a few…
