Although Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) never developed a solidly integrated philosophy of happiness, he did gain some insights that we can apply today. Those insights are based on common sense and have been proven true by the experience of twenty one centuries.
Seneca noted that low-key, down-to-earth individuals tend to be happier than ultra-ambitious, bombastic, aggressive ones. He underlined this point in his 67th Letter to Lucilius. His recommendation of equanimity brings to our attention a major component of happiness.
When Seneca mentions that Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis (95-46 BC) used to increase his stamina by walking barefoot in the snow, we should not take the recommendation literally.
The anecdote should not prompt us to walk barefoot on the snow, but to accept that life is occasionally going to deliver us a bad hand. If we keep our expectations down-to-earth, we’ll react faster and more effectively.
Let me nonetheless emphasise that coping effectively with adversity isn’t a synonym for happiness. It is a prerequisite, not a synonym. Seneca is not saying that Cato enjoyed walking on the snow barefoot, but that Cato would not complain if he had to do so for a little while due to adverse circumstances.
Seneca: The advantages of a down-to-earth attitude
Seneca gives numerous examples of individuals who made the best of their lives by adopting a down-to-earth attitude; one of my favourite examples is the Roman military officer Gaius Fabricius Luscinus, a contemporary of Zeno of Citium.
We can find Fabricius’ example in Seneca’s dialogue titled “On the Happy Life.” Fabricius had adopted a frugal lifestyle, eating simple food that he could cook himself.
His low-key lifestyle had enabled him to withstand political pressures and refuse bribes. Despite those difficulties, he kept trudging ahead undisturbed. A lesser man would have broken down under the pressure or succumbed to the temptations.
Seneca doesn’t affirm that a modest lifestyle alone had made Fabricius happy, but points put that a modest lifestyle enabled Fabricius’ peace of mind, effectiveness and happiness.
Seneca: Avoid unethical influences
Happiness requires that we steer away from evil or insincere people; even occasional contacts with bad individuals can prove detrimental to our happiness; generally speaking, it’s not worth it to deal with unethical people; their dishonesty will prove harmful to us, sooner or later.
In the 14th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca exhorts readers to steer away from corrupt crowds. It is better to stay away from them, even if we lose some short-term benefits. Seneca’s rationale is waterproof. History shows that, in the long run, the interaction with bad individuals will lead to bad results.
Seneca affirmed that, if we want to protect our serenity, it is better to be alone than surrounded by bad people. I regard this piece of advice as a pillar of happiness, but of course, it relies on one’s ability to detect bad individuals before they can cause damage.
The original wording employed by Seneca goes beyond bad individuals. The 14th Letter to Lucilius used the wording “bad influences” to encompass artworks and theatre performances in which immorality is positively portrayed.
According to Seneca, we should keep those bad influences at bay in order to protect our mental balance. There is no valid reason to partake in activities or attend events that promote bad ideas. Those can only undermine our happiness.
Seneca: The daily practice that enables happiness
It is crucial to practise every day activities that make you happy and maintain a happy frame of mind. Seneca repeatedly advised us to practise what we preach at all times.
Even when events do not turn out as we wanted, we should still react in ways that preserve our happiness. In the 14th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca exhorts us to embrace a solid philosophy and practise it all the time.
From time to time, philosophy will lead us to acknowledge that we have made a mistake; the correct reaction, says Seneca, is to “remove our mistake” by vowing to do better in the future and make sure that we end up happier next time.
In the 62nd Letter to Lucius, Seneca justifies his approach in the following way: We do not know our precise lifespan. If we suffer a fatal accident tomorrow, the daily practice of a solid philosophy would have guaranteed that we have used our time optimally.
Indeed, we’ll sometimes have bad days, but there is no way to eliminate all errors and random losses. Seneca is right in his insistence on the daily practice of philosophy to turn bad days into useful lessons.
Even if we perish in some random accident tomorrow, there is no better day to maximise our happiness today. This explains why other philosophers or gurus also have taken over Seneca’s concept of daily practice.
According to Seneca, the daily practice of philosophy helps us maximise happiness because it’s constantly beneficial. Each experience can be enhanced by a daily practice.
In contrast, other thinkers conceive the daily practice as an isolated routine that takes place once a day for fifteen minutes, like a short meditation session.
Seneca would not have endorsed such an approach because, like life, philosophy should not stop flowing. We should apply it all the time, not just ten minutes a day. He regards the daily practice as a ceaseless, unremitting activity, like “a river that is always flowing.”
I support Seneca’s recommendation because it removes luck from the equation. If we practise a solid philosophy at all times each day, we can make the best of every opportunity. Constant practice will deliver more happiness than intermittent sessions.
If you are interested in putting rational ideas into practice in all kinds of situations, I recommend my book “On becoming unbreakable.”
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