I have never been impressed by individuals who preach effectiveness, productivity and efficiency for the sake of it. They devote their efforts to finding faster ways of getting from A to B, without explaining why we should want to get to B in the first place.
Seneca took the opposite approach. His ideas about effectiveness are linked to the pursuit of happiness, self-reliance, and peace of mind. Seneca first speaks about the goal, and then describes the path to reach it.
For the 59th Letter to Lucilius, I conclude that permanent joy is routinely felt by individuals who are able to think effectively, that is, philosophically. We should categorize such permanent joy as essential and fundamental, as a feeling that goes beyond the trivialities of daily life.
Effective thinking enables us to put things in context before drawing conclusions. It prevents exaggerated emotions such as anxiety and depression, and prompts us to ponder the long and short-term consequences before deciding on a course of action.
Seneca: towards a better version of ourselves
For Seneca, effectiveness requires taking a long-term view especially when everybody else is closing their eyes, avoiding questions about the day after tomorrow. Short-term thinking, in Seneca’s view, can deliver bodily pleasure, but not happiness.
The search for superficial pleasures denotes ineffectiveness, argues Seneca. As examples of superficial pleasures, he speaks of gambling, overeating and exaggerated lust. He would have been horrified to learn that, nowadays, some people devote endless hours to watching television or playing video-games.
Why does effectiveness lead to happiness? Because humans are naturally driven to seek progress and improve their station in life. Even wealthy individuals love to find ways to achieve better results in their investments and higher value-for-money in their purchases.
According to Seneca, we can all draw immense satisfaction from becoming a better version of ourselves. I mean becoming better able to look at the world with philosophical eyes, staying cool when situations get hot, and discarding negative emotions such as anger and hatred.
Seneca: external versus inner effectiveness
In today’s world, the term “effectiveness” possesses a cheap, short-term connotation, devoid of philosophical depth. People feel effective when they get things done faster or at a lower cost than yesterday, but can those victories deliver serenity and happiness?
In the 59th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca gives the example of merchants that feel effective and happy when their business is going well. If their happiness depends on their ships returning safely from a trading expedition, argues Seneca, it’s fragile and can be wiped out by any setback.
Seneca categorizes their alleged effectiveness and happiness as “childish” because it is exposed and unprotected. Anything can destroy it or take it away. Their feelings depend on a wheel of fortune which is always turning. Sometimes, it turns for the better, and other times, it turns for the worse.
For individuals, it’s preferable to raise their effectiveness by embracing philosophy. The purpose of learning to think calmly is to spare ourselves the merry-go-round of emotions caused by external events or by other people.
Seneca underlined that the search for personal effectiveness is a lifelong undertaking. I would compare it to driving a car with a manual transmission. The driver needs to coordinate the manual gear change with the speed pedal to keep the car riding smoothly. If he fails to do that, the engine will choke and bring the car to a standstill.
Seneca’s insights and Rembrandt’s lifestyle
The Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669) personifies Seneca’s insight of connecting effectiveness and happiness. Rembrandt came from a poor family and raised himself to prominence through hard work.
His father was a miller and couldn’t procure Rembrandt any connections to start an artistic career. Thus, Rembrandt sought to increase his skills and effectiveness to a superlative level, so that those would open the doors to success.
As a teenager, Rembrandt spent twelve hours a day drawing sketches, studying anatomy, and copying the works of famous artists. When he entered the workshop of artist Pieter Lastman as an apprentice, Rembrandt kept doing sketches indefatigably to increase his skills.
He literally took every commission he could land, just to make a name for himself. Whether it was portraits or history paintings, Rembrandt devoted endless hours to achieve a very high quality.
Rembrandt began to earn serious money when he was in his late twenties and painted “The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp.” A decade later, he produced his masterpiece “The Night Watch.”
Seneca’s advice and Rembrandt’s bankruptcy
Unfortunately, when he was in his late thirties, Rembrandt forgot the effectiveness that had secured his happiness. Instead of staying on the right path, he made foolish expenditures that he did not really need to make, dilapidating his savings.
Rembrandt went into debt to such an extent that, shortly after his fortieth birthday, he had to file for bankruptcy. He lost his house and everything else, but did his best to reimburse his debts.
Eventually, he returned to his former lifestyle and resumed his effective habits. He faced his financial difficulties stoically, in a manner that would have made Seneca proud.
As a result, Rembrandt kept producing a myriad of sketches and etchings. During the last decades of his life, his dedication and self-discipline enabled him to stay afloat while many other artists were facing financial hardship.
Without the equanimity of a proficient Stoic, he would have drowned in misery, psychologically and physically. He gave us a compelling illustration of the strength of Seneca’s insights.
If you are interested in putting rational ideas into practice in all kinds of situations, I recommend my book “Against all odds: How to achieve great victories in desperate times.”
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