1. You have sent a letter to me through the hand of a "friend" of yours, as + you call him. And in your very next sentence you warn me not to discuss with + him all the matters that concern you, saying that even you yourself are not + accustomed to do this; in other words, you have in the same letter affirmed + and denied that he is your friend. 2. Now if you used this word of ours in + the popular sense, and called him "friend" in the same way in which we speak + of all candidates for election as "honourable gentlemen," and as we greet + all men whom we meet casually, if their names slip us for the moment, with + the salutation "my dear sir," – so be it. But if you consider any man a + friend whom you do not trust as you trust yourself, you are mightily + mistaken and you do not sufficiently understand what true friendship means. + Indeed, I would have you discuss everything with a friend; but first of all + discuss the man himself. When friendship is settled, you must trust; before + friendship is formed, you must pass judgment. Those persons indeed put last + first and confound their duties, who, violating the rules of Theophrastus, + judge a man after they have made him their friend, instead of making him + their friend after they have judged him. Ponder for a long time whether you + shall admit a given person to your friendship; but when you have decided to + admit him, welcome him with all your heart and soul. Speak as boldly with + him as with yourself. 3. As to yourself, although you should live in such a + way that you trust your own self with nothing which you could not entrust + even to your enemy, yet, since certain matters occur which convention keeps + secret, you should share with a friend at least all your worries and + reflections. Regard him as loyal, and you will make him loyal. Some, for + example, fearing to be deceived, have taught men to deceive; by their + suspicions they have given their friend the right to do wrong. Why need I + keep back any words in the presence of my friend? Why should I not regard + myself as alone when in his company?
+ +4. There is a class of men who communicate, to anyone whom they meet, matters + which should be revealed to friends alone, and unload upon the chance + listener whatever irks them. Others, again, fear to confide in their closest + intimates; and if it were possible, they would not trust even themselves, + burying their secrets deep in their hearts. But we should do neither. It is + equally faulty to trust everyone and to trust no one. Yet the former fault + is, I should say, the more ingenuous, the latter the more safe. 5. In like + manner you should rebuke these two kinds of men, – both those who always + lack repose, and those who are always in repose. For love of bustle is not + industry, – it is only the restlessness of a hunted mind. And true repose + does not consist in condemning all motion as merely vexation; that kind of + repose is slackness and inertia. 6. Therefore, you should note the + following saying, taken from my reading in Pomponius: "Some men shrink into + dark corners, to such a degree that they see darkly by day." No, men should + combine these tendencies, and he who reposes should act and he who acts + should take repose. Discuss the problem with Nature; she will tell you that + she has created both day and night. Farewell.
+ +In this letter I take away two themes: one of friendship, and one of + discussions. Of friendship, I think Seneca's definition sets a high bar, + though rightfully so. A friend (perhaps a "true friend", considering + Facebook et al) is one you can confide in without restriction, except for + the most tightly held of secrets. I can personally count the number of + people I could call this type of friend on one hand. To Seneca, as with me, + friend is an honorable position.
+ +In today's social-media-fueled world, I find that the term "friend" resonates + much closer to Seneca's sick burn: "friend" in the same way in which we + speak of all candidates for election as "honorable gentlemen." Perhaps, + though, there's a bit of syntactic significance here. To the Stoics, the + importance of community and brotherhood is found throughout. Marcus Aurelius + has a famous quote about it, as masterfully illustrated by the great Gavin + at Zen Pencils: [ Link + ]. I think it safe to say we should be friendly and helpful to all we meet, + whereas to welcome one as a friend is a significant event, and one which + requires careful consideration.
+ +The second theme, discussion, is only touched on but I think is significant + enough to warrant attention. Seneca mentions the importance of moderation in + trust and discussion with others. Do not share freely and constantly, and + also do not withdraw within yourself too far. I think here we see a + blueprint for discussion with others. To borrow from Marcus, we are all + brothers, and in that sense we should be comfortable discussing common + matters. However, it is only with friends that we should be comfortable + discussing more personal matters, and even then we must be considerate. Once + again, our social-media-centric world finds many of us sharing freely into a + void we do not recognize as a crowd. Many would do well to remember: social + media is not empty! There are those who greedily capture every word you give + freely, like a stray animal to a buffet. Judge well what you decide to + share, for likely it is not with "true friends" that the message solely + goes.
+ +Reflecting on this letter made me carefully evaluate my friendships. I rarely + have difficulty with people, though admittedly I take time to "warm up" to + them. In terms of discussions, I don't find much to be beyond common topics. + In that sense, I think I am a bit too loose-lipped, though perhaps not as + much as I think. However, I do know that it is a small group with which I + confide the most personal challenges or achievements I have made. And, as + Seneca does suggest, I do not allow entry into this group lightly!
+ ++ Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter 3 on Wikisource +
diff --git a/_drafts/letter-to-lucilius-4.html b/_drafts/letter-to-lucilius-4.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..47ed71d --- /dev/null +++ b/_drafts/letter-to-lucilius-4.html @@ -0,0 +1,140 @@ +--- + tabtitle: "Seneca's Letter to Lucilius, Letter 4" + title: "Seneca's Letter to Lucilius, Letter 4: On the Terrors of Death" + topics: [philosophy] + pub: "2018-01-20" + short_desc: "Letter 4 was the first letter I ever read. Seneca discusses + death, life, and how to deal with both. I found it during a time of great + anxiety and strife, yet even now I find it enlightening." +--- + +1. Keep on as you have begun, and make all possible haste, so that you may + have longer enjoyment of an improved mind, one that is at peace with itself. + Doubtless you will derive enjoyment during the time when you are improving + your mind and setting it at peace with itself; but quite different is the + pleasure which comes from contemplation when one's mind is so cleansed from + every stain that it shines. 2. You remember, of course, what joy you felt + when you laid aside the garments of boyhood and donned the man's toga, and + were escorted to the forum; nevertheless, you may look for a still greater + joy when you have laid aside the mind of boyhood and when wisdom has + enrolled you among men. For it is not boyhood that still stays with us, but + something worse, – boyishness. And this condition is all the more serious + because we possess the authority of old age, together with the follies of + boyhood, yea, even the follies of infancy. Boys fear trifles, children fear + shadows, we fear both.
+ +3. All you need to do is to advance; you will thus understand that some + things are less to be dreaded, precisely because they inspire us with great + fear. No evil is great which is the last evil of all. Death arrives; it + would be a thing to dread, if it could remain with you. But death must + either not come at all, or else must come and pass away.
+ +4. "It is difficult, however," you say, "to bring the mind to a point where + it can scorn life." But do you not see what trifling reasons impel men to + scorn life? One hangs himself before the door of his mistress; another hurls + himself from the house-top that he may no longer be compelled to bear the + taunts of a bad-tempered master; a third, to be saved from arrest after + running away, drives a sword into his vitals. Do you not suppose that virtue + will be as efficacious as excessive fear? No man can have a peaceful life + who thinks too much about lengthening it, or believes that living through + many consulships is a great blessing. 5. Rehearse this thought every day, + that you may be able to depart from life contentedly; for many men clutch + and cling to life, even as those who are carried down a rushing stream + clutch and cling to briars and sharp rocks.
? + +Most men ebb and flow in wretchedness between the fear of death and the + hardships of life; they are unwilling to live, and yet they do not know how + to die. 6. For this reason, make life as a whole agreeable to yourself by + banishing all worry about it. No good thing renders its possessor happy, + unless his mind is reconciled to the possibility of loss; nothing, however, + is lost with less discomfort than that which, when lost, cannot be missed. + Therefore, encourage and toughen your spirit against the mishaps that + afflict even the most powerful. 7. For example, the fate of Pompey was + settled by a boy and a eunuch, that of Crassus by a cruel and insolent + Parthian. Gaius Caesar ordered Lepidus to bare his neck for the axe of the + tribune Dexter; and he himself offered his own throat to Chaerea.[1] No man + has ever been so far advanced by Fortune that she did not threaten him as + greatly as she had previously indulged him. Do not trust her seeming calm; + in a moment the sea is moved to its depths. The very day the ships have made + a brave show in the games, they are engulfed. 8. Reflect that a highwayman + or an enemy may cut your throat; and, though he is not your master, every + slave wields the power of life and death over you. Therefore I declare to + you: he is lord of your life that scorns his own. Think of those who have + perished through plots in their own home, slain either openly or by guile; + you will that just as many have been killed by angry slaves as by angry + kings. What matter, therefore, how powerful he be whom you fear, when every + one possesses the power which inspires your fear? 9. "But," you will say, + "if you should chance to fall into the hands of the enemy, the conqueror + will command that you be led away," – yes, whither you are already being + led.[2] Why do you voluntarily deceive yourself and require to be told now + for the first time what fate it is that you have long been labouring under? + Take my word for it: since the day you were born you are being led thither. + We must ponder this thought, and thoughts of the like nature, if we desire + to be calm as we await that last hour, the fear of which makes all previous + hours uneasy.
+ +10. But I must end my letter. Let me share with you the saying which pleased + me to-day. It, too, is culled from another man's Garden:[3] "Poverty brought + into conformity with the law of nature, is great wealth." Do you know what + limits that law of nature ordains for us? Merely to avert hunger, thirst, + and cold. In order to banish hunger and thirst, it is not necessary for you + to pay court at the doors of the purse-proud, or to submit to the stern + frown, or to the kindness that humiliates; nor is it necessary for you to + scour the seas, or go campaigning; nature's needs are easily provided and + ready to hand. 11. It is the superfluous things for which men sweat, – the + superfluous things that wear our togas threadbare, that force us to grow old + in camp, that dash us upon foreign shores. That which is enough is ready to + our hands. He who has made a fair compact with poverty is rich. + Farewell.
+ +Letter 4 is the first letter I ever read by Seneca. I read it during a time + of anxiety and stress, appropriately enough about my health and life. + Every time I read this letter, I am reminded of why I like Stoicism. During + the worst of my anxiety, I considered other avenues to find respite. + Religion, distractions, drugs. None seemed complete; all held a catch. + Religion asked me to put my faith in gods, to trust that which I cannot + know. Distractions, though myriad, always ended with me back in reality. And + as bad as my anxiety was, I'm not willing to subject myself to any degree of + drugs unless absolutely necessary. Time and again, I found myself back at + Stoicism. Whether it be the teachings of Epictetus or these letters, the + teachings within gave me inspiration.
+ +Letter 4 deals with the fear of death, a fear I am all too familiar with. + Though, to my credit, I don't think I'm alone in this fear. Seneca + emphasizes the importance of overcoming this fear, as only a mind free from + fear can be truly at peace. It is not enough to just renounce the fear + though, you must conquer it. Like invaders at a gate, it will return in force, + and each time you must defeat it. Fear is a constant companion, but it need + not be a constant nuisance. To me, overcoming fear means learning, and + understanding. I like to define fear as a lack of knowledge. We fear the + darkness, because we know not what it holds, not because of the inherent + qualities of darkness. To conquer fear is to learn, and grow, and improve, + relentlessly. Overcome the ignorance, and recognize what is real. As Seneca + reminds us, old age is not a cure for ignorance, but rather an extension: + "Boys fear trifles, children fear shadows, we fear both." It is not enough + to grow old, for adults are just larger children. We must mature in mind as + well as body.
+ +Death is the great equalizer. Whether a king or a beggar, death comes for + all. To live is inevitably to die; when may be unknown, but it is certain to + come. An Onion article once said it best: "World Death Rate Holding Steady + at 100 Percent." The Stoics are quick to remind us it is fruitless to + concern ourselves with something outside our control, and death is no + exception. Seneca is quick with examples: the highwayman or another enemy; + your slave or your king; Nature itself. + +
+ Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter 4 on Wikisource +
++ The Onion, "World Death Rate Holding Steady at 100 Percent" +