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| Seneca's Letter to Lucilius, Letter 7 | Seneca's Letter to Lucilius, Letter 7: On Crowds |
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2018-03-10 | 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
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