It is easy to dispense advice in retrospect and tell people what they should have done. It is far more difficult to make the right decisions in real time, while being bitterly criticised and publicly attacked.
Psychological pressure is hard to resist, especially when it is coming at us from all directions. Seneca knew that, in the absence of a solid philosophy, individuals tend to break down under pressure and commit one error after another.
How do we preserve our effectiveness in the face of severe criticism? How can we deflect insults and aggression, and stay perfectly calm? What insights had Seneca gained in this area?
In his 98th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca described his strategy for remaining effective during setbacks, interpersonal conflict, and disasters of all kinds. I call it a “strategy” and not a “hack” because it requires assiduous, constant implementation.
Seneca’s preferred approach consists of adopting a resilient lifestyle in all areas of life. I mean in the areas of relationships, nutrition, exercise, work, personal finances, and even hobbies.
Seneca’s recipe for personal effectiveness
The strategy recommended by Seneca in the 98th Letter to Lucilius encompasses everything we do, every interaction with other people, every expenditure we make, and our plans for the future.
Truth be told, Seneca did not find many historical examples to illustrate his strategy. He mentioned Sextius Niger, a Roman philosopher he had personally met, but Seneca’s description of Sextius’ lifestyle is rather sketchy. Thus, I’m reluctant to regard this example as a paragon of virtue.
I find it more convincing when Seneca’s philosophy is put to the test in a real-life situation of which all details are known. For example, in the lifestyle of David Hume (1711-1734), one of the foremost philosophers of the Scottish Enlightenment.
Students of humanities are well aware of Hume’s impressive contributions to philosophy, but less aware of his personal life. Hume endured painful criticism, setbacks and defeats, but used Seneca’s recommendations to deal with them effectively.
Hume’s personal struggles started early in life. His father passed away when Hume was just two years old. Despite his family’s tight financial conditions, Hume managed to enrol at the University of Edinburgh in 1713.
His mother’s desire was to see Hume graduate either in law or in theology, so that he could enter the Church, a law firm, or the royal administration. Either as lawyer or as clergyman, his financial future would be secured.
Seneca’s philosophy as applied by David Hume
When he started to attend classes at the University, Hume had just turned twelve. For today’s standards, that’s remarkably young, but in the eighteenth century, there were many cases of university students aged twelve, thirteen or fourteen.
Unfortunately, Hume didn’t manage to adopt the disciplined lifestyle required to pass exams and graduate; his dire financial circumstances are partially to blame for his failure as a student.
Years followed in which Hume took poorly-paid jobs either in Great Britain or in France. His life was rudderless, without a purpose or direction.
The only thing that kept Hume motivated was his interest in books, particularly about philosophy and history. He devoted a large share of his time to studying and taking notes, while his career continued to stagnate.
Eventually, Hume felt severely ill; historians have described his condition as a nervous breakdown. His professional failure and miserable living conditions point to a case of depression or perhaps exhaustion.
In any case, Hume was suffering from his lack of social and professional accomplishments. Words of criticism would hurt him beyond measure because he was already viewing himself as a failure.
Luckily, Hume was familiar with Seneca’s philosophy and opted for applying it conscientiously. Instead of letting himself sink in despondency, he adopted a resilient lifestyle.
How Hume put Seneca’s philosophy in practice
Seneca had praised Sextius Niger for his resilient lifestyle, but I find Hume’s example much more convincing. The failure, academic and professional, experienced by Hume makes him intriguing to those interested in self-development.
Hume did not draw a magical prescription from Seneca, but he realized that nobody was going to help him if he didn’t help himself by adopting a resilient lifestyle.
A resilient lifestyle means that Hume had to figure out how to keep trudging forward, while maximising his opportunities and minimizing his risks.
What did Hume do exactly? He reviewed his skills and his circumstances, and came up with a plan. He would keep doing his job, fulfilling his obligations, but devote a couple of hours each night to writing. If he wrote a successful book, Hume reasoned, his career opportunities would improve and lead to a better life.
Hume put his plan into practice and, by the time he turned twenty-eight, he had written a major philosophical work titled “A Treatise of Human Nature.” He nervously awaited the first reviews of the book, but those turned out to be devastating.
Unabashed, Hume immediately began to write another book and submitted proposals to publishers. He was harshly rejected everywhere by everybody, but thanks to his resilient lifestyle, he was able to keep going.
By applying Seneca’s principles, Hume had made his own soul invulnerable and could not be put down by circumstances. Year after year, Hume kept writing philosophical works; it took another five years before he gained traction with his essays.
What Hume achieved by applying Seneca’s ideas
Little by little, Hume got established as a writer. In 1748, he rewrote his failed “A Treatise of Human Nature” into “Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding,” but still got bad reviews.
His career improved somewhat, but failed in his attempts at securing a teaching position at the University of Edinburgh. The University of Glasgow also rejected his job application.
Thanks to his books, Hume had gained an audience, but had also made some enemies, especially within the leadership of the Church of Scotland. Nonetheless, he remained loyal to the philosophy of Seneca and kept going forward.
Eventually, Hume found great success in his forties. He was hired as Secretary to the British Ambassador in Paris, where he had the opportunity to meet the leading French intellectuals of the Enlightenment such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Hume’s growing reputation earned him great friends also in Scotland, friends such as the economist Adam Smith. Despite the impossibility to secure a teaching position at the university, Hume’s achievements are remarkable.
I attribute Hume’s achievements to his decision to adopt the recommendation of Seneca. By embracing a resilient lifestyle, Hume rendered himself immune to criticism and rejection. In good and bad times, he simply kept going until he achieved his objectives. A wonderful example to imitate.
If you are interested in putting rational ideas into practice in all sorts of circumstances, I recommend my book “The 10 principles of rational living.”
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