Compared to Ancient Greece and Rome, people nowadays can easily choose to be as lonely or as gregarious as they wish. Our ability to give shape to our lifestyle is much larger than in the times of Aristotle (384-322 BC) or Seneca (4 BC-65 AD).
However, the benefits that we can draw from solitude have not changed through the centuries. I find Seneca’s observations in this respect particularly insightful.
In his own life, Seneca went through periods of solitude and periods of gregariousness. Those periods were long, protracted, and overwhelming, in the sense that they were driven by forces over which Seneca had little control.
We can benefit from Seneca’s sharp observations and advice because he made the effort to put them in writing. His dialogue “On the Happy Life” contains important reflections on solitude and how it can contribute to our peace of mind. In his Letters to Lucilius, we can also find valuable remarks about solitude.
Seneca regarded solitude as beneficial if we use it to raise our serenity and self-reliance. To a great extent, he affirmed, happiness is equivalent to self-sufficiency.
Why Seneca praised solitude
If we learn to enjoy life on our own, without depending on other people for support or comfort, we’ll be able to experience joy every day. If we have friendly, loving individuals around us and they make our lives pleasant, great. If not, we’ll be able to enjoy our days anyway.
In his 98th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca defines a happy person as someone who is not anxious about the future. Solitude, if we employ it wisely, allows us to increase our self-sufficiency and serenity, removing all worry, preoccupation and anxiety.
As a practical illustration, Seneca points to the philosopher Stilbo, a contemporary of Aristotle. He recounts that Stilbo had grown immensely self-sufficient and serene through reflection.
When Stilbo’s home town, Megara, was attacked during the war, Stilbo lost everything. His home burned to the ground, his children and his wife died, and he lost all material possessions.
In the 78th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca clarifies that Stilbo had acquired his serenity before experiencing extreme adversity. In the absence of philosophy, he wouldn’t have withstood the loss and felt deadly unhappy.
Seneca’s examples of beneficial solitude
Seneca advises us to retire from the world from time to time and devote ourselves to reflection. We need to get away from a busy lifestyle and slow down. We need to take time to focus on priorities and make plans for the future.
At the top of his career, the Roman general Scipio Africanus (236-183 BC) retired to live to the countryside because of his desire to experience solitude. He didn’t want to spend any more time in Rome amongst political intrigues and threats.
In the 25th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca views Scipio’s decision very positively. He praises in particular Scipio’s inner strength, serenity and self-sufficiency.
Was Scipio remarkably effective as a general because of his serenity and self-reliance? Possibly. Those mental qualities are typical of individuals who have learned to remain unafraid and calm in all circumstances.
Seneca mentions Zeno of Citium (334-262 BC) as someone who had also acquired a strong self-reliance. After suffering a shipwreck and losing every material possession, Zeno started right away to rebuild his career and his wealth.
Solitude helps us strengthen our mind. It renders us self-sufficient in the intellectual sense, independent from other people’s good opinions, able to go our own way despite setbacks, opposition, and criticism.
Sources of Seneca’s views on solitude
Epicurus (341-270 BC) belongs to the generation who took over Greek philosophy after Aristotle’s death. His conclusions about solitude are similar to those of Seneca’s. He favoured a quiet, inexpensive lifestyle because it gives us the freedom to slow down and increase also our spiritual self-sufficiency.
Even situations of extreme solitude can be enjoyed, argued Seneca, referring to his own exile on Corsica, an island in the Mediterranean Sea. He draw confidence from the example set by Rutilius Rufus (158-75 BC), who had enjoyed a relatively pleasant life in his exile in Syria, far away from Rome.
Solitude enables us to size up problems correctly, instead of exaggerating them due to social pressure. When we are on our own, we can concentrate on solving problems instead of trying to second-guess other people.
Seneca’s dialogue “On the Happy Life” gives us the ultimate formula for benefitting from solitude. The whole point, Seneca explains, is “to build a peaceful retreat within our own soul.”
Solitude constitutes an opportunity for acquiring intellectual and physical strength. It creates a self-improvement framework that can render us more self-reliant and serene.
If, for whatever reason, we cannot afford prolonged periods of solitude, we should at least acquire habits that promote self-sufficiency.
For instance, Seneca mentions that Cato the Younger (95-46 BC) had acquired the habit of wearing inexpensive clothes and consuming only inexpensive food. Cato had adopted a lifestyle comparable to that of a hermit in the mountains.
Those habits had made Cato mentally and physically strong. Seneca praises those habits in his dialogue “The Constancy of the Wise.”
Similarly, he praises the frugality of Vespasian (9-79 AD), a Roman Emperor who had opted for a simple lifestyle. Seneca emphasises in his dialogue “On the Happy Life” the immense value of being contented with few material possessions and, if necessary, also with few social contacts.
Solitude is a school that can help us become stronger, if we seize the opportunity to learn. It does not mean that we need to remain solitary for long or restrict our enjoyment of life. Let us not confuse the training ground with a normal lifestyle.
If you are interested in putting rational ideas into practice, I recommend you my books “The philosophy of builders” and “The 10 principles of rational living.”