Contents
An ascetic and a state adviser, a mentor and a victim of Nero, a patient and a doctor himself … Seneca was a man of contradictions and conflicts. His whole life, from exile to fame and suicide, became the epitome of stoicism. Even after two thousand years, his words make you think and give confidence in yourself and your abilities.
In his writings, Seneca constantly turned to readers and asked them questions, but ended up fighting and arguing with himself. Skillfully mastering the word and possessing a fresh look, he wrote in order to heal, find himself, grow internally. Reading Seneca, we find that philosophy, whatever its purpose (find the path to wisdom, formulate the laws of the universe), can provide answers to many questions.
Suffering, virtue, misfortune, the passage of time, the fragility of joys and human passions — the topics that Seneca touches on are also relevant to the feelings of modern man.
Become the master of your time
Time is our most precious asset, and yet we often squander it. Life is never too long or too short if you live it to the fullest, give meaning, and not just cling to it or fill it with anything and everything.
We should try to focus on the present, instead of being tormented by regrets about the past and fear of the future, to live every day as if it were our last. This is the power of the moment, which makes it eternal.
Look for simplicity
Get rid of the superfluous, become simpler — Seneca’s advice to those who are busy with obsessions and fleeting pleasures, which later bring only disappointment. When distracted, we lose ourselves, succumb to extremes, instead of devoting ourselves to moral perfection and spiritual progress.
Run from common thinking
We are slaves of public opinion and political correctness. However, a common mistake does not become true. It is important to find your own opinion (even if it dooms us to loneliness), to devote your life to development, interesting communication and useful meetings.
Build an Inner Citadel of Peace
Not everything depends on our desires and efforts. This awareness will help you learn to suffer less from inevitable troubles: illness, death, natural disasters and blows of fate.
Dignity and will, judgment and inner freedom will remain in our power.
We often become victims of prejudice and suffer more not from events, but from how we imagine them, and only accepting the inevitable will help us find peace.
Wisdom is open to all
Seneca believed that we belong to the cosmos, the universe, obey the natural order. Everyone is a part of society: «To live means to be useful for oneself and others.» All people, even slaves and victims of power games, deserve respect. In any country, in any era, everyone is able to become a noble man, if he wants to: “It doesn’t matter where exactly, from any place you can soar into the sky.”