Few people read books written a hundred years ago. Even fewer show interest for books written two thousand years ago. I am one of those exceptions, one of the few who regularly devotes time to reading Seneca (4 BC-65 AD).
I read Seneca’s dialogues and his Letters to Lucilius because they deliver one important benefit: They prompt me to reassess my priorities.
Seneca’s insights give me the strength to quit unpromising projects, concentrate on the key objectives, and use my time more productively.
In his 48th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca presented the principle of moderation, and explained its universal, perennial interest. It doesn’t matter where we live, which profession we practise, or how old we are.
We can all benefit from embracing moderation in thinking and action, argued Seneca. Thanks to his moderate policies, the Roman Emperor Augustus (63 BC-14 AD) achieved prosperity and stability. His successors abandoned his policies and almost ruined the Empire.
Moderation enables us to employ our energies wisely. If we steer away from high-risk projects and extreme emotions, we’ll maintain our capacity to think clearly and work effectively.
Seneca: acquiring the habit of moderation
For Seneca, moderation constitutes the pillar of wisdom. In the 48th Letter to Lucilius, he warns us against blind passions. I find the lesson harder to practise than to grasp intellectually.
When someone experiences success, he will face strong and frequent temptations to abandon moderation. He will see right away the advantages of immoderate action, but the drawbacks might remain hidden.
Even well-educated persons can fall prey to the enticements of immoderate action. The Macedonian prince Alexander (356-323 BC), educated by Aristotle, first grew into a well-balanced youth, but changed when his father died.
When Alexander became the Macedonian King, he engaged in vast military campaigns and abandoned moderation. Indeed, his military victories earned him the surname “the Great,” but as time went by, his behaviour grew more erratic and extreme.
Alexander the Great died young. He was only thirty-two. I attribute his early death to his immoderate behaviour. Seneca is warning us against extreme, erratic behaviour. It does not take long before its dire consequences become visible.
Seneca: acquiring the habit of thoughtfulness
Reading Seneca brings us back to basic principles that need to be restated over and over. It all boils down to using our days effectively. It’s all about steering away from counterproductive ideas, unpromising projects, and negative emotions.
In his 98th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca prompts us to think about our goals and the best manner to attain them. We should avoid thoughtless, reckless actions, he warn us. They create the illusion of progress, but can prove severely counterproductive.
Seneca exhorts us to advance at the right pace, not too fast, so that we do not paint ourselves into a corner. He praises the Roman general Fabius Maximus (280-203 BC) who opted for slow manoeuvres in the war against Hannibal.
If Fabius Maximus had engaged combat right away, chances are that Hannibal would have emerged victorious. The fact that Fabius made slow manoeuvres, put Hannibal at a disadvantage because of his inferior logistics. Eventually, Hannibal gave up his attempt to conquer Rome and returned to Africa.
To illustrate his philosophical ideas, Seneca recounts stories from Ancient Greece and Rome. Those stories have maintained their freshness because their protagonists made mistakes that people keep making today.
When we read Seneca’s anecdotes about Pompey the Great (106-48 BC), we see the negative consequences of immoderate ambition. Those stories remind us to think twice before taking part in high-risk ventures.
Pompey had ample opportunities to negotiate a peace treaty, but instead, he kept aggravating his rivalry with Julius Caesar (100-44 BC). Eventually, after losing the Battle of Pharsalus, he had nowhere to go and died shortly after.
Seneca’s focus on personal development
Seneca piles up stories that exemplify virtue and vice. If we read his writings often, we will internalize his advice and make virtue automatic. We’ll acquire the habit of rejecting temptation and wasting our time with delusions.
When Seneca recounts the failed invasion of Persia by King Croesus (595-546 BC), he is prompting us to assess our goals. Croesus lost his life due to his ill-conceived attempt to expand his kingdom. If he had embraced moderation, he wouldn’t have made such a mistake.
The most valuable Seneca’s recommendations are those that question our way of life. Diogenes (412-323 BC) protected his personal independence by adopting a low-cost lifestyle. He did not want to make his happiness dependent on possessions.
Seneca’s writings prompt us to compare ourselves with the likes of Diogenes. They make us question our lifestyle and its relation to our lifetime goals. Are we striking the right balance between career and private life? Are we saving enough money to protect us from unforeseen disruptions?
No other author of antiquity focused so strongly on personal development. Seneca devoted more than two decades to developing and writing his ideas, leaving us a body of work that condenses his wisdom. Let us seize every opportunity to read his works and putting their ideas into practice.
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.”