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Putting Seneca’s anti-worry recipe into practice
I can understand those who doubt the applicability of Stoic philosophy to today’s problems. Seneca lived a long time ago. How could he possibly foresee the problems we are facing today? Indeed, Seneca’s preoccupations did not resemble ours, but we shouldn’t assume that people in Ancient Rome faced fewer problems than people in our century.…
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Seneca on how to stop worrying
Worry is the quintessential wasteful emotion. It doesn’t help improve our life, but consumes large amounts of energy. The more we worry, the less time we have available for productive, constructive action. Seneca had endured worry and anxiety in his mid-twenties, due to a severe respiratory illness. He thought he was going to die, when…
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Seneca’s ideas on the nature of fate
The concept of determinism was unknown to ancient Greek and Roman philosophers because they regarded the universe as a combination of forces. Gods could influence our lives, but we can request the succour of other divinities. Our future is not written in stone. Seneca lived in a polytheistic environment in which Roman deities embodied concepts…
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Seneca: effectiveness leads to happiness
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…
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Seneca on effectiveness
In history, few philosophers have proven qualified to speak about effectiveness. They were disqualified by their economic, professional and social failure, or by their sheer ignorance of practical matters. Seneca belongs to the opposite category. He is the archetype of the realistic, savvy, experienced thinker that has been everywhere and seen everything. The 118th Letter…
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Seneca’s reflections on personal growth
How can we grow in effectiveness and happiness? Is there a proven method we can use to improve our station in life? Can we rely on advice given by philosophers in previous centuries? Seneca was already aware of those questions when he wrote his Letters to Lucilius. His answers are concrete and coherent, and have…
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Seneca’s misconceptions about mental strength
It’s useless to be strong in situations where strength plays no meaningful role. Will mental strength alone help you achieve your business, professional and social goals? Will it render you healthier and happier? I very much doubt it. Seneca viewed mental strength as the answer to all questions. How do we minimize trouble in life?…
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Seneca’s thoughts on mental strength
Stoicism is the only philosophy that aims at increasing one’s mental strength. Its founders, Zeno of Citium (334-262 BC) and Cleanthes (330-230 BC) devoted more efforts to avoiding emotional misery than to achieving success and happiness. Seneca followed the line of thought of his predecessors, but his recommendations are more subtle. It’s not hard to…
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Seneca’s formula for avoiding distractions
We could save an enormous amount of time if we figured out how to remain focused on our goals. Even for motivated people, it is difficult to keep going day after day without getting sidetracked. Seneca came up with a powerful formula for avoiding distractions. In history, many people have put it into practice successfully.…
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Seneca on avoiding distractions
When we talk about avoiding distractions, we are assuming that we have clear goals and plans to achieve them. If we keep pursuing those goals assiduously, we are on the right track, but if we get sidetracked, it is because we are getting distracted. Seneca addressed this subject in the 1st Letter to Lucilius, in…
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