From e85563d0992197b1172b30672308b26b63073d79 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Bill Nibz Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2018 16:17:47 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] Draft: Add letter 7 --- _drafts/letter-to-lucilius-7.md | 149 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 149 insertions(+) create mode 100644 _drafts/letter-to-lucilius-7.md diff --git a/_drafts/letter-to-lucilius-7.md b/_drafts/letter-to-lucilius-7.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8a95694 --- /dev/null +++ b/_drafts/letter-to-lucilius-7.md @@ -0,0 +1,149 @@ +--- + tabtitle: "Seneca's Letter to Lucilius, Letter 7" + title: "Seneca's Letter to Lucilius, Letter 7: On Crowds" + topics: [philosophy] + pub: "2018-03-10" + short_desc: "Humans are like tofu: we very easily take on the flavors in + which we are cooked. Choose your flavoring carefully." +--- + +# Letter 7: On Crowds + +## Original Text + +Do you ask me what you should regard as especially to be avoided? I say, crowds; +for as yet you cannot trust yourself to them with safety. I shall admit my own +weakness, at any rate; for I never bring back home the same character that I +took abroad with me. Something of that which I have forced to be calm within me +is disturbed; some of the foes that I have routed return again. Just as the sick +man, who has been weak for a long time, is in such a condition that he cannot be +taken out of the house without suffering a relapse, so we ourselves are affected +when our souls are recovering from a lingering disease. To consort with the +crowd is harmful; there is no person who does not make some vice attractive to +us, or stamp it upon us, or taint us unconsciously therewith. Certainly, the +greater the mob with which we mingle, the greater the danger. + +But nothing is so damaging to good character as the habit of lounging at the +games; for then it is that vice steals subtly upon one through the avenue of +pleasure. What do you think I mean? I mean that I come home more greedy, more +ambitious, more voluptuous, and even more cruel and inhuman, because I have been +among human beings. By chance I attended a mid-day exhibition, expecting some +fun, wit, and relaxation, – an exhibition at which men's eyes have respite from +the slaughter of their fellow-men. But it was quite the reverse. The previous +combats were the essence of compassion; but now all the trifling is put aside +and it is pure murder. The men have no defensive armour. They are exposed to +blows at all points, and no one ever strikes in vain. Many persons prefer this +programme to the usual pairs and to the bouts "by request." Of course they do; +there is no helmet or shield to deflect the weapon. What is the need of +defensive armour, or of skill? All these mean delaying death. In the morning +they throw men to the lions and the bears; at noon, they throw them to the +spectators. The spectators demand that the slayer shall face the man who is to +slay him in his turn; and they always reserve the latest conqueror for another +butchering. The outcome of every fight is death, and the means are fire and +sword. This sort of thing goes on while the arena is empty. You may retort: +"But he was a highway robber; he killed a man!" And what of it? Granted that, as +a murderer, he deserved this punishment, what crime have you committed, poor +fellow, that you should deserve to sit and see this show? In the morning they +cried "Kill him! Lash him! Burn him! Why does he meet the sword in so cowardly a +way? Why does he strike so feebly? Why doesn't he die game? Whip him to meet his +wounds! Let them receive blow for blow, with chests bare and exposed to the +stroke!" And when the games stop for the intermission, they announce: "A little +throatcutting in the meantime, so that there may still be something going on!" + +Come now; do you not understand even this truth, that a bad example reacts on +the agent? Thank the immortal gods that you are teaching cruelty to a person who +cannot learn to be cruel. The young character, which cannot hold fast to +righteousness, must be rescued from the mob; it is too easy to side with the +majority. Even Socrates, Cato, and Laelius might have been shaken in their moral +strength by a crowd that was unlike them; so true it is that none of us, no +matter how much he cultivates his abilities, can withstand the shock of faults +that approach, as it were, with so great a retinue. Much harm is done by a +single case of indulgence or greed; the familiar friend, if he be luxurious, +weakens and softens us imperceptibly; the neighbour, if he be rich, rouses our +covetousness; the companion, if he be slanderous, rubs off some of his rust upon +us, even though we be spotless and sincere. What then do you think the effect +will be on character, when the world at large assaults it! You must either +imitate or loathe the world. + + But both courses are to be avoided; you should not copy the bad simply because + they are many, nor should you hate the many because they are unlike you. + Withdraw into yourself, as far as you can. Associate with those who will make a + better man of you. Welcome those whom you yourself can improve. The process is + mutual; for men learn while they teach. There is no reason why pride in + advertising your abilities should lure you into publicity, so that you should + desire to recite or harangue before the general public. Of course I should be + willing for you to do so if you had a stock-in-trade that suited such a mob; as + it is, there is not a man of them who can understand you. One or two + individuals will perhaps come in your way, but even these will have to be + moulded and trained by you so that they will understand you. You may say: "For + what purpose did I learn all these things?" But you need not fear that you have + wasted your efforts; it was for yourself that you learned them. + + In order, however, that I may not to-day have learned exclusively for myself, I + shall share with you three excellent sayings, of the same general purport, + which have come to my attention. This letter will give you one of them as + payment of my debt; the other two you may accept as a contribution in advance. + Democritus says: "One man means as much to me as a multitude, and a multitude + only as much as one man." The following also was nobly spoken by someone or + other, for it is doubtful who the author was; they asked him what was the + object of all this study applied to an art that would reach but very few. He + replied: "I am content with few, content with one, content with none at all." + The third saying – and a noteworthy one, too – is by Epicurus, written to one + of the partners of his studies: "I write this not for the many, but for you; + each of us is enough of an audience for the other." Lay these words to heart, + Lucilius, that you may scorn the pleasure which comes from the applause of the + majority. Many men praise you; but have you any reason for being pleased with + yourself, if you are a person whom the many can understand? Your good qualities + should face inwards. Farewell. + +## Response + +In the first paragraph, Seneca makes a very interesting observation: when you +leave for the day, you return a different character than you set out. He seems +to imply this is due to "consorting with the crowd", but I think this is a +reality of life: we are constantly changed by our environment. Seneca, I think, +would have us realize that consorting with the crowd explicitly is harmful, and +to be avoided if at all possible. Again, I don't think this means avoid groups, +but rather avoid provocative or aggressive groups. To Seneca, this would be +groups such as spectators at "the games" (the Coliseum). To us, this could be +either meatspace or digital groups, and the later especially I find very +interesting. Often we don't consider the impact of our Twitter followers, or our +Facebook feed, upon our character. How often, though, do we feel compelled to +agree simply due to the sheer number of others who already do? "It is too easy +to side with the majority." This effect applies equally to all of us, from the +most impressionable youth to the most stalwart Stoic. + +The discussion of needless violence "at the games" is very interesting. Dan +Carlin did a podcast recently discussing the history of violence, and he +mentioned this exact letter due to Seneca's account. "In the morning they throw +men to the lions and the bears; at noon, they throw them to the spectators." +Humanity's interest in violence, at times apparently insatiable, is nothing new +to modern day violent media. In fact, by comparison, today's violence is tame: +we witness the emulation of violence; in Rome, they witnessed the reality of +slaughter. Seneca's advice: avoid it. Building upon what he discussed earlier, +you only harm yourself by watching such events. Now, replace violence with a +vice of your choice, and the lesson still applies. Humans are like tofu: we very +easily take on the flavors in which we are cooked. Choose your flavoring +carefully. + +Seneca concludes, "you should not copy the bad simply because they are many, nor +should you hate the many because they are unlike you." Here, we see the strategy +emerge: improve yourself, surround yourself by those who will help you do so, +and seek out those whom you can help improve. He discusses also the folly of +pride, and of publicity, with respect to these pursuits. In the end, he reminds +us: we improve for our own benefits. He really emphasizes this, and captures so +well the significance of improving yourself for your own benefit, at the very +end of the letter: "Many men praise you; but have you any reason for being +pleased with yourself, if you are a person whom the many can understand?" To me, +this is the _coup de grace_. If you withhold your improvement, simply for the +appeasement of the crowd, or the desire for praise, then you only improve to the +least of their members. + +### Source + +[Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter 7 on Wikisource]( +https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius/Letter_7) + +###### [Letter Index]({{ site.baseurl }}{% post_url 2018-01-15-Letters-To-Lucilius %}) + +- Set short_desc