Back when I was a teenager, I stumbled upon a short thought-provoking quote over the internet,
We suffer more in our imagination more often than in reality.
Little did I bother who wrote it.
Fast forward to my twenties, I came across stoicism, which talks about deriving joy from fair and skillful conduct during the passage of life instead of stressing over achievements that may or may not be the outcome due to the tough odds. It’s a way of life where our happiness is well secured from misfortunes. I started searching for authors to read more and I came across Seneca, a Roman philosopher who lived around 4 BC. He wrote about stoicism and other philosophical thoughts on how to lead a virtuous life. And coincidentally, he was the one who had written the quote I mentioned.
I started with “Letter from a Stoic”, a collection of letters written by Seneca to his friend Lucilius translated by Robin Campbell covering practical methodologies and philosophies for finding tranquility. Being my first book on ancient philosophy, it took me a while to get comfortable with the way of writing. Once I got through that phase, there were many instances where his writing resonated with me on a profound level. (I had bookmarked all the best quotations which I will be sharing in different categories in the following sections). Hope it will give a peek into Seneca’s way of thinking.
Sense of happiness
You might think you want a fancy car or a nice watch. But what you probably want is respect and admiration.
The above words are from the book, the psychology of Money. From my personal experience, whenever someone appreciates and admires me for the abilities I’ve built, it makes me feel valued. Admiration can’t be something that we chase; it’s a second-order effect of personal growth. But it fuels us to do better. Seneca adds another perspective to this idea, He says,
Happy the man who improves other people not merely when he is in their presence but even when he is in their thoughts.
— Letter XI
I realized, this is something very few people are capable of achieving, and this has been a capability of people I really admire.
Envy
If you shape your life according to nature, you will never be poor. If according to Peoples’s opinions, you will never be rich.
— Letter XVI
Obvious, isn’t it? Somehow, it’s never that obvious during the experience of envy. It may not be entirely bad. When you envy the right thing, it nudges you into becoming the right thing. Seneca also recognizes the importance of healthy envy. He says,
There is a need, in my view, for someone as a standard against which our characters can measure themselves. Without a ruler to do it against, you won’t make the crooked straight.
— Letter XI
Self-control
Barley, porridge, or a crust of barley bread and water do not make a cheerful diet, but nothing gives one keener pleasure than the ability to derive pleasure even from that, and the feeling of having arrived at something which one cannot be deprived of by any unjust stroke of fortune.
— Letter XVIII
Try to recall instances where you were able to say no to something that would have brought you joy, but you had better reasons to say no. Saying no to a social activity sometimes makes you a contrarian in front of others, but other times, you are respected since it is not an easy choice to make. Either way, aligning your actions based on what you feel is right, brings a sense of confidence and empowerment. Some of you may have a YOLO mindset to justify your actions. For those people, I recommend following what Seneca prescribes as the first step.
A consciousness of wrongdoing is the first step to salvation.
— Letter XXVIII
Self-realization
Growing up, as children, we had a lot of questions about the existence of things that make up the universe. However, somehow this curiosity faded away as we grew up. There are many reasons for this, and my reasoning is that as children, we had a lot of time and inner peace to let our minds wander. But as we grew up, we got locked into the small world of handling and fulfilling responsibilities. Losing curiosity is sad, but what’s even sadder is losing the ability to appreciate the marvels that make up the universe. Amidst the commotion of today’s life, Seneca’s description of nature’s divinity was so refreshing to me. Here it goes,
If you have ever come across a dense wood of ancient trees that have risen to an exceptional height, shutting out all sight of the sky with one thick screen of branches upon another, the loftiness of the forest, the seclusion of the spot, your sense of wonderment at finding so deep and unbroken a gloom out of doors, will persuade you of the presence of a deity. Any cave in which the rocks have been eroded deep into the mountain resting on it, its hollowing out into a cavern of impressive extent not produced by the labors of men but the result of processes of nature, will strike into your soul some king of inkling of the divine.
— Letter XLI
Suffering
Recollection of vivid memories of sufferings feels easier than the recollection of the happy ones. Negative emotions are felt much stronger than the positive ones leaving memory footprints that are deeper. Here’s what Seneca says,
What’s the good of dragging up sufferings which are over, of being unhappy now just because you were then? what is more, doesn’t everyone add a good deal to his tale of hardships and deceive himself in the matter? Besides, there is a pleasure in having succeeded in enduring something the actual enduring of which was far from pleasant. When some trouble or other comes to an end the natural thing is to be glad. And when a man is in the grip of difficulties he should say
“There may be pleasure in the memory of even these events one day”
— Letter LXXVIII
Death
The thought of ceasing to exist after a period of time creates uneasiness in me occasionally. There is a notion that even immortality gradually loses its appeal and creates a desire to die. But we don’t have the liberty to experience both and choose one. We are destined to die someday (anxiety kicks in). Here’s how Seneca perceives death!
What is death? Either a transition or an end, I am not afraid of coming to an end, this being the same as never having begun, nor of transition, for I shall never be in confinement quite so cramped anywhere else as I am here.
— Letter LXV
My feeling of uneasiness about death toned down reading this perception. Philosophy is soothing. ❤
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