{"id":11298,"date":"2019-10-26T08:00:08","date_gmt":"2019-10-26T11:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/colabstaging.co.uk\/msbackup\/?p=11298"},"modified":"2019-10-25T14:06:39","modified_gmt":"2019-10-25T17:06:39","slug":"a-stoic-for-all-seasons-series-seneca-falls-by-kevin-vost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/colabstaging.co.uk\/msbackup\/a-stoic-for-all-seasons-series-seneca-falls-by-kevin-vost\/","title":{"rendered":"A Stoic for All Seasons Series: Seneca Falls by Kevin Vost"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201c[Philosophy] tells all other occupations: \u2018It\u2019s not my intention to accept whatever time is left over from you; you shall have instead, what I reject.\u2019\u201d<\/em> -Seneca\u2019s Letters to Lucilius, # 53<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lest\nthis subtitle prove deceptive, note well this essay has nothing to do with a\nNative American nation or a city in New York, and even less with waters\ncascading over cliffs.  Rather, it\nrepresents an invitation to spend your falls, or at least part of this one, in\nthe company of the prolific Stoic philosopher,  Lucius Anneaus Seneca (c. 4 BC \u2013 65 AD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my youth, I associated the fall season with a renewed interest and focus on cultivating both mind and body. As a student, it was time to get back to the classrooms, and as a weightlifter, it was time to move from the lighter, faster-paced slimming exercises of summer to the heavy duty growth-spurring barbell heaving of autumn.  While still in my college student days, I discovered in Seneca a thinker who inspired me greatly for building both body and mind. I\u2019ve written about the body part in a previous post, Show Me Your Shoulders: The Stoic Workout<\/a>. Here, I\u2019ll zoom in on the mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nam also using fall metaphorically to refer to the middle season of life as we\nprepare for our twilight years. Fifteen years ago, at age 43, a line from\nSeneca\u2019s essay On the Shortness of Life<\/em>\nhad a profound impact on me: \u201cNihil minus\nest hominis occupati quam vivere.\u201d<\/em> (\u201cThere is nothing the busy man is less\nbusied with than living.\u201d) It convinced me to scale back from a heavy schedule\nor full-time employment and part-time college teaching.  Within a year of taking additional time for\nthe leisurely study of philosophy I\u2019d write the first of twenty books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving\nback in time and place to ancient Rome, due to the cruel jealously of Nero,\nwhom Seneca had advised in his first years as emperor, Seneca never made it\npast the late fall or perhaps early winter of his own life, being ordered to\ncommit suicide before the age of 70.  Still,\nhe wrote poignantly about the advancing years of life in his Letters to Lucilius, <\/em>as a delightful excerpt\nwill soon show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The remainder of this article will consist of slightly adapted material from my chapters on Seneca in The Porch and the Cross<\/em>.  I will start with some of our sliver-tongued Stoic stylist\u2019s musings on the autumn of his own life, and then flesh things out with my summaries of several excerpts from his Letters of Lucilius<\/em> on the value and beauty of a life guided by philosophy.  All direct quotations come from the Loeb Classical Library edition of Seneca\u2019s Epistles. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 So, I invite you to set Vivaldi\u2019s Autumn<\/em> playing quietly in the background\nand spend a bit of this chilly fall with Seneca\u2019s ever warm wisdom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seneca\non the Autumn of Life<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Letter 12,<\/em> Seneca tells his friend Lucilius the signs he sees of his own advancing age. He visits his old country estate and finds the old house in a state of dilapidation. This is the house that grew under his own hands, and yet stones of his age are crumbling to pieces! He scolds the caretaker for the state of a row of trees that are gnarled and shriveled and bear no leaves. He tells them they need to have the ground under them loosened and they need to be watered. The caretaker tells him he has done all that, but to not avail, because the trees are simply old. (Seneca lets us in on his secret that he himself had planted those trees!) He then asks the caretaker about the identity of a rickety old slave who comes into view, a man who looks like he\u2019s knocking at death\u2019s door. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The old man himself replies to Seneca: \u201cDon\u2019t you know me, sir? I am Felicio; you used to bring me little images. My father was Philositus the steward, and I am your pet slave.\u201d Seneca says the man is crazy, or has become a boy again, since his teeth are falling out (but he knows that the slave tells the truth!)   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seneca\nmuses that the old country homestead of his youth revealed to him his age\nwherever he turned, but he is not despondent. Rather, he urges us to love and\nto cherish our advancing years.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fruits are most welcome when almost over; youth is most charming at its close; the last drink delights the toper, – the glass which souses him and puts the finishing touch on his drunkenness. Each pleasure reserves to the end the greatest delights which it contains. Life is most delightful when it is on the downward slope, but has not yet reached the decline\u2026How comforting it is to have tired out one\u2019s appetites, and to have done with them!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s\nmove on now to see what lessons this second \u201clame old man\u201d (referencing\nEpictetus\u2019s self-description) can teach us to make the most of our own years,\nwhether we are still on the upward slope, or have started to slide down the\nother side!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Letter\n16:  How Philosophy Builds the Soul<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here\nwe find a brief paean to philosophy as a guide to life and happiness. Seneca\nassures Lucilius that no one can lead a happy life without philosophy and even\nthose just beginning in the pursuit of wisdom will find life much more\nbearable. He advises his friend to continue daily reflection and reminds him\nthat keeping<\/em> noble resolutions is\nmore important than making<\/em> them.  By daily perseverance, his studies will soon\nbecome an entrenched habit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philosophy\nis not something for which one should seek attention or amusement.  Philosophy is not a matter of words, but of\nfacts. It moulds and constructs the soul; it orders one\u2019s life, guides one\u2019s\nactions, shows us what we should do and also what we shouldn\u2019t. Philosophy sits\nat the helm and guides our course through life. Some might ask how philosophy\nis of any use if Fate exists, if God rules the universe, or if all things are a\nmatter of Chance. Seneca answers that philosophy still prevails. \u201cShe will\nencourage us to obey God cheerfully, but Fortune defiantly; she will teach us\nto follow God and endure Chance.\u201d Therefore, Seneca exhorts his friend not to\nallow his spiritual impulse for wisdom to grow weak or cold, but to establish\nit solidly so that what is now an impulse will become a firm habit of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\nends again with an exhortation to drop all desire for externals and luxuries.\nNatural desires are limited, but those that spring from false impressions never\nsatisfy and have no limits at all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Letter\n20:  Philosophy not Spoken, but Lived<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Philosophy seeks not to make speeches and entertain crowds with high-sounding word play. Philosophy teaches us how to act, not how to talk about acting. It teaches every man that his deeds must match his words and that his inner life and outer life must always be in harmony. Philosophers, in other words, must walk their talk and practice what they preach. This is no easy task and is achieved only through rigorous self-examination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observe yourself, says, Seneca. Is your manner of clothing and housing consistent with your philosophy? Are you generous toward yourself and stingy with your family? Do you eat frugal meals, but build a massive, ostentatious house? You should regulate yourself by one and the same norm in all your affairs. You should not be like those who control themselves at home, but then strut about in public. \u201cWhat is wisdom? Always desiring the same things, and always refusing the same things.\u201d  It goes without saying that what you wish should be right, because if it was not right, it could not always satisfy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seneca\nalso recommends a practical exercise to Lucilius to train him in desiring only\nwhat is right and in accordance with nature. He says it is not necessary for\nthe philosopher to renounce all his possessions, but it is a good thing to\npractice voluntary poverty and simplicity at times for a few days, preparing\noneself and rehearsing as it were, should true poverty befall one. Indeed, he\nsays it can be a pleasant experience that provides a sense of freedom from the\ncare for unneeded things. This can rouse the soul from its sleep and remind it\nthat nature\u2019s true needs are very few. Seneca ends with a picturesque and\nhumorous description of the way that we all get our start in the world: \u201cNo man\nis born rich. Every man, when he first sees light, is commanded to be content\nwith milk and rags. Such is our beginning, and yet kingdoms are all too small\nfor us! Farewell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Letter\n23:  The Joys of the Philosophic Life<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Seneca assures Lucilius he is not going to write to him about the weather or other trivial matters people write about when they don\u2019t know what to say. No, he will write about the foundation, or rather the pinnacle, of a sound mind, which is not to find joy in useless things or to make our happiness dependent upon externals outside our control.  Indeed, he will exhort his dear friend to set as his goal to learn how to experience the true joy that comes when one frees one\u2019s self from both the hope of external goods and from the fear of things like poverty or death.  \u201cThe very soul must be happy and confident, lifted above every circumstance.\u201d This is the promise of philosophy and it is fulfilled when one rejoices only in what comes from the best within oneself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what is truly best? Real good \u201ccomes from a good conscience, from honourable purposes, from right actions, from contempt of the gifts of chance, from an even and calm way of living which treads but one path.\u201d  It is only a few who control themselves and their actions by a guiding purpose while the rest are swept along aimlessly by the river of life, some through sluggish waters, and others in violent currents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seneca\nconcludes with two related sayings of Epicurus that address the same theme\naddressed in Letter 13<\/em>, that of the\nfoolishness of always getting ready to begin to live life. Seneca says a man\ncannot be prepared to face death if he is just starting to live. We must strive\nrather to live as though we have already lived long enough by always living in\nharmony with our guiding purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Letter\n31:  Goals Worth the Sweat<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Seneca\ntells Lucilius that he recognizes him now! He sees that he is progressing in\nphilosophy, striving for what is best and trampling under his feet the petty\nthings of which the crowd approves. There is only one good, he reminds him,\nthat cause and support of a happy life is to trust in oneself. This requires\nthat one recognize that busyness, work, and toil are not true goods in and of\nthemselves when they do not serve a noble purpose. One makes oneself happy\nthrough one\u2019s own efforts when one\u2019s efforts are blended with virtue. Whatever\nis blended with virtue is good and whatever is joined to vice is evil. Good is\nthe knowledge of things and evil is the lack of such knowledge.  When a good, noble goal has been identified, a\ngood man will not fear the sweat involved in attaining it, even if it entails\nan arduous struggle uphill. The knowledge of good and evil in things human and\ndivine will also lead to an even temperament and to a consistent, harmonious\nlife.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And\nhow is such a goal attained? Nature has provided you with all the necessary\ntools to rise to the level of God. Your money won\u2019t do that, since God has no\nproperty. Your fancy clothes won\u2019t do it either, for God has no wardrobe, nor\nwill your fame and recognition, for no one truly knows God, and many do not\nhonor him. Beauty and strength are useless here as well. They cannot hold up in\nold age. What we must seek is not things outside our control, governed by\nFortune or Chance, but rather we must seek the goods of the human soul. \u201cWhat\nelse could you call such a soul than a god dwelling as a guest in the human\nbody?\u201d  Such a soul may dwell in a\nstately Roman knight, but just as well in a slave. Indeed, one may arise from\nthe very slums and shape oneself into kinship with God. This likeness of God\ncannot be cast in gold or silver, but is molded within our souls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Letter\n39:  On Cultivating Greatness of Soul\n(& the Dangers of Failing to Do So)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The\nmost noble element within the human soul is its capacity to be roused to seek\nout honorable things. No man of great talents is pleased with things mean and\npetty. The vision of great things calls to him and inspires him. Our souls are\nlike flames, always flickering in motion, and the more ardently a soul burns,\nthe greater is its activity. Happy is the man whose soul burns for better\nthings! This man will disregard the things of chance, will control the level of\nhis prosperity, will diminish adversity, and despise the petty things that\nothers admire. The great soul will scorn things commonly seen as great, and\nwill prefer the ordinary when the ordinary is truly useful and the great is\ntruly excessive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like\na branch that is broken by too heavy a load of fruit is the soul that is ruined\nby unlimited prosperity and pleasure. Men who yield to excess lusts always\nsuffer in the end. They become unable to live without their vicious pleasures,\nso that what was once excessive and superfluous is now indispensable to them.\nThey come to love their own vices. They attain the peak of unhappiness when\nthey are not only drawn to, but are pleased and contented by shameful things.\nAt this point they become beyond cure, for their vices have become habitual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Letter\n53:  Philosophical Invincibility<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here Seneca provides another paean to philosophy, and an exhortation to pursue it above all else. Seneca starts his letter with a rather drawn out account of a recent bout of seasickness he experienced on a journey. It had become so bad that when he persuaded the captain to come close to the shore he jumped out into the cold waters in his wooly clothing and crawled over rocks onto the shores. He quips he has concluded that Ulysses himself (Odysseus of Homer\u2019s Odyssey<\/em>) kept getting stranded on islands not because of Neptune\u2019s (Poseidon\u2019s) ill will, but because of his own seasickness! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The moral of this little story was to show that while physical ailments have a tendency to make themselves known to us with unmistakable force and gusto, when it comes to ailments of the soul, the worse shape one\u2019s soul is in, the less<\/em> one is aware of it. He compares it to sleep. A person sleeping lightly may experience dreams and even realize that he is asleep and dreaming, while a person in heavy slumber has descended too deep for dreams or for consciousness of the self. A person who does not admit his spiritual failings is still plunged deeply in them. A person can only remember his dreams when he wakes up, as recognizing one\u2019s faults is a sign of health. And what can wake a person up? Philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only\nphilosophy can rouse us from the slumbers that blind us to our faults. Seneca\nimplores Lucilius to devote himself entirely to \u201cher.\u201d A sick person will\ndevote his entire time to recovery before he carries out his normal business\naffairs. So too should we give precedence to the pursuit of wisdom and focus\nmore on curing our souls than on any other business. Philosophy is a demanding\nmistress. She doesn\u2019t want our odd moments, but demands our attention\nfull-time. Philosophy \u201ctells all other occupations: \u2018It\u2019s not my intention to\naccept whatever time is left over from you; you shall have instead, what I\nreject.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Seneca bids to give all of one\u2019s time to\nphilosophy, to sit by her side and court her, giving her one\u2019s own mind, and\nthus advancing oneself beyond other men, \u201cnot far behind the gods themselves.\u201d  Indeed, Seneca declares that in a sense a wise\nman surpasses even a god, since a god is fearless by nature, while a wise man\nhas earned his own fearlessness, achieving despite his human weakness, the\nserenity of a god.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seneca\nends this letter as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Philosophy\u2019s power to blunt all the blows of circumstances is beyond belief. Never a single missile lodges in her; she has strong, impenetrable defenses; some blows she breaks the force of, parrying them with the slack of her gown as if they were trivial, others she flings off and hurls back at the sender.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I suggest we heed his wise words and use this fall to strive our way towards such philosophical invincibility to steel ourselves for this season of winter and for the winters of our own lives, if we should live so long. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kevin Vost<\/strong> is the author of twenty books on psychology, philosophy, theology, and physical fitness, has taught psychology and gerontology at Aquinas College in Nashville, Tennessee and the University of Illinois at Springfield.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201c[Philosophy] tells all other occupations: \u2018It\u2019s not my intention to accept whatever time is left over from you; you shall have instead, what I reject.\u2019\u201d -Seneca\u2019s Letters to Lucilius, # 53 Lest this subtitle prove deceptive, note well this essay has nothing to do with a Native American nation or a city in New York, … Continue reading “A Stoic for All Seasons Series: Seneca Falls by Kevin Vost”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8636,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stoicism"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/colabstaging.co.uk\/msbackup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/colabstaging.co.uk\/msbackup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/colabstaging.co.uk\/msbackup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/colabstaging.co.uk\/msbackup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8636"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/colabstaging.co.uk\/msbackup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11298"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/colabstaging.co.uk\/msbackup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11298\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11308,"href":"https:\/\/colabstaging.co.uk\/msbackup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11298\/revisions\/11308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/colabstaging.co.uk\/msbackup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/colabstaging.co.uk\/msbackup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/colabstaging.co.uk\/msbackup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}