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. Nor that Seneca’s anxiety and worry experience was essentially different from ours.
Philosophy is about principles, about immanent truths that, come what may, will remain applicable. If Seneca’s philosophy is true, then it remains applicable today because human nature has not changed one bit.
Seneca’s insights on worry remain applicable today as it can be easily proven by applying them to real-life situations. There is nothing in today’s worry that Seneca, Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD) and Epictetus (55-135 AD) had not experienced in a similar fashion.
Seneca’s insights and Joseph Pulitzer’s life story
The stress produced by mobile communications and global competition is historically a new phenomenon, but I would put it in a similar category as the fear and anxiety experienced in Ancient Rome by individuals facing barbarian invasions and monetary debasement.
Seneca’s insights become clearer if we apply them to recent events and personalities. I’m going to employ Joseph Pulitzer’s life story (1847-1911) as a test ground for Seneca’s insights on worry. If those insights worked for Pulitzer, I would argue that they will work equally well in our century.
Pulitzer, who was of Hungarian origin, embodies the quinta-essential America story of the self-made millionaire. Starting his life as an immigrant into the United States of America, he worked himself up the system and accumulated a large fortune.
When interviewed for magazine articles, Pulitzer would call himself “a poor boy who took advantage of great opportunities that were available.” Instead of looking for a pastoral lifestyle to escape worry, Pulitzer earned a fortune from it.
Seneca’s advice to focus on the present
Seneca’s anti-worry recipe calls for living in the present and adopting a balanced view of risks. He looked favourably on taking action to protect our assets and happiness, but regarded it as foolish to obsess about potential disasters against which we cannot do much.
From the very beginning of his career, Pulitzer employed Seneca’s insight to his benefit; he had understood that most people love to worry and obsess about potential threats, sometimes for taking practical steps to counter them, but other times not.
Pulitzer was in his late teens when he landed his first job in journalism. He became a reporter in a local newspaper in St. Louis, and soon began to write passionate articles about social and political issues.
His articles aimed at raising the reader’s concerns about the future, and polarising their opinions. Pulitzer categorised his journalism as a fight for justice, but Seneca would have viewed it as potential fuel for worry and preoccupation.
Inspired by Seneca, some of us prefer to live each day as a self-contained unit, without worrying too much about the risks for the future. It is sufficient to do today’s work and hope for the best. If we use our time wisely, the future will take care of itself.
Pulitzer went in the opposite direction. Instead of advising people to focus primarily on today’s opportunities, he drew attention to existing problems and emerging threats. He earned large sums by purchasing or merging small newspapers like the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and relentlessly growing their circulation.
Seneca’s preference for serenity over growth
Seneca would have frowned at the sensational headlines and stories in Pulitzer’s newspapers. He would have refrained from reading them to protect himself from worry and anxiety.
Pulitzer claimed that sensational journalism aims at serving readers, but Seneca would have categorised those stories as obstacles or risks to his serenity; that’s because he considered peace of mind more important than informational depth.
Seneca would have also refrained from consuming today’s social media, fearing that their negative bias might undermine his peace of mind. Not every social media contributor employs Pulitzer’s techniques of sensational storytelling, but some do.
It is difficult to refrain from clicking on emotionally-laden headlines, but I would not blame the journalists or social media contributors. They are just writing their stories in an appealing manner to draw the readers’ attention.
Seneca would have instead questioned readers for devoting their time to disquieting stories. He might have rated sensational stories as a factor that prevents individuals from achieving serenity.
Did Pulitzer worry himself to death? I do not know, but in any case, there might be other contributory causes to his early death. He passed away at sixty-three, fairly young. Especially in his early years, he had been working long days to build his newspaper empire.
I admire Pulitzer’s single-minded dedication to his objective and it is clear to me that he loved his work. I wonder if he would have lived longer if he had followed Seneca’s anti-worry prescription, but on the other hand, he might have enjoyed his days less.
Seneca wouldn’t have understood Pulitzer’s desire to expand his business beyond the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and purchase the New York World in 1883. His Stoic philosophy would have warned him against chewing more than he could digest, but for ambitious individuals, the pursuit of growth is exhilarating.
Seneca’s advice against worry remains as effective today as in Ancient Rome, but should be best applied in the frame of his Stoic philosophical views. We can choose to pursue serenity or personal growth as our first priority, and organize our lifestyle accordingly. All other elements follow from that first decision.
If you are interested in applying rational ideas in all areas of activity, I recommend my book titled “Consistency: The key to permanent stress relief.”
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