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. Some of them had learned it by reading Seneca’s works, and others had arrived at the same conclusion by themselves.
In his 54th and 77th Letters to Lucilius, Seneca condensed his wisdom about how to avoid distractions. I can sum up his formula in a few words: Thinking of death is the best way to get focused in life.
By “thinking of death,” Seneca meant “becoming conscious of our limited lifespan.” He didn’t mean that we should obsess about death and become paranoiac about health risks, potential accidents, and life after death.
Stoicism regards death as part of the normal life cycle, not as a tragedy. Seneca encourages readers to accept that, one day, they will cease to exist. The philosophically minded will strive to use their lifetime in the best possible manner, but there is no reason to agonise about death itself.
Seneca and the length of human life
Seneca argues against the complaint that life is too short. He believes that human life possesses the right length. If we use our days in an effective manner, we can achieve fulfilment; but if we waste them, it won’t make any difference whether we live one year longer or not.
For Seneca, only unwise people fear death. Philosophically minded individuals are one hundred per cent focused on making the best of today. They want to make sure that, when their moment arrives, they can accept it calmly.
In his 54th and 77th Letters to Lucilius, Seneca advises us to make death our friend by cultivating virtue each day and doing what needs to be done. Let’s learn to regard death as something that is neither good nor bad. It is just a fact of life that needs to be accepted.
By adopting this mentality, we will not have to worry about distractions. By focusing on living philosophically and in the present, we will not waste time and energy on lamentations, worry and anxiety.
Seneca’s view of philosophy as action
After Seneca’s death, Stoic writers such as Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD) and Epictetus (55-135 AD) placed less emphasis on avoiding distractions.
Marcus Aurelius gave more importance to equanimity than to making the best of each day in our life; and Epictetus praised distractions that help us forget our miseries for a while.
I regard Seneca’s approach as superior because it relies on focused, consistent action. Serenity is more easily acquired by advancing calmly than by self-talk. Equanimity is more easily maintained by taking initiative than by passivity.
Amongst all Stoic philosophers, Seneca was the only one to realise that “worrying about death” is a worthless distraction. If we spend our days worrying, we’ll lead a sub-optimal life, one that is driven by fear instead of virtue.
Seneca’s insights and Ibn Battuta
The life of the medieval explorer Ibn Battuta (1304-1369) is a compelling example of what it means to lead a focused life, one without distractions, lamentation and worries.
According to his own notes, Battuta travelled constantly for three decades and covered one hundred thousand kilometres in three continents, namely, Africa, Europe and Asia, with the Middle East in-between.
Battuta visited Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mali, Spain, Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Somalia, Tanzania, Kenya, Maldives, Sri Lanka, India, Persia, Afghanistan, Java, Turkestan, Indonesia, and China. For the sake of simplicity, I am using today’s geographical terms.
Even today, more than one thousand years later, few people can claim to have travelled as extensively as Battuta. He went from place to place, driven by curiosity, after having arrived at the conclusion that long travelling would enable him to make the best of his life.
How did Battuta achieve his objective, bearing in mind that travelling was a rather miserable experience in his century? It was dangerous, uncomfortable and expensive. How did Battuta manage to cover five thousand kilometres per year?
There is no historical evidence that Battuta had read Seneca, but somehow, he had come to the same conclusion. A life well lived follows a focused, purposeful path and doesn’t waste time on distractions.
Battuta was in his twenties when he identified his purpose. I must underline that, according to Stoicism, it does not matter if our life’s purpose is grandiose or not. The only requisite is that we choose a rational, balanced, virtuous motivation.
Seneca: The choice of a slow, steady path
Seneca would have encouraged Battuta to pursue his dream. He would surely have reassured Battuta that, in case of a fatal accident, the travelling would have still been justified as the optimal use of Battuta’s time.
Battuta chose a profession that he could practise while he was travelling, one that would enable him to earn a living at home and abroad. He became an Islamic Law scholar and gave legal advice and adjudicated legal cases in many countries that he visited.
Seneca gave us the theory and Battuta the real-life example of what we can achieve by focusing on our life’s mission and eliminating distractions. When individuals like Battuta think about death, it is only to remind themselves of making the best of each day.
Battuta’s motivation didn’t conflict with the Stoic principles of reason and moderation because he maintained a slow, steady path. By reducing distractions to zero, Battuta paved the way for a life of happiness and achievement, showing us how much is possible.
If you are interested in putting rational ideas into practice in all kinds of situations, I recommend my book “Against all odds: How to achieve great victories in desperate times.”
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