The first thing you notice when you read Seneca is we have changed little in 2000 years. Yes we've progressed from wax tablets to iPhones but apparently we've come no closer to solving our mind's traps than Stoic philosophers.
On the Shortness of Life by Seneca comprises three essays/letters written between 42 and 63 AD. "Consolation to Helvia" is a letter Seneca wrote to his mother shortly after his exile. Seneca alternates praising Helvia's courage with extolling the pleasantry of simple life. Exile is not bad, it is a gift.
This humble shack gives shelter [...] to the virtues.
Nothing satisfies greed but even a little satisfies nature.
No man has been shattered by the blows of fortune unless he was first deceived by her favors.
I love this final quote. Seneca describes succinctly the folly of being taken by success.
In the essay "On the Shortness of Life" Seneca advises
If each of us could have a tally of his future years ... how carefully would they use them.
We see this repeatedly in transformational inspirational stories of those who have stared mortality in its face, those who've realized that our only true currency is time, that the wise sage is a
thrifty guardian of his time. He never found anything for which it was worth exchanging.
and
The greatest obstacle to life is expectancy.
We must choose our teachers well and dedicate our time to learning and to civic duties.
Finally, "On Tranquility of Mind" is Seneca's response to his friend Serenus when Serenus bewails his struggle living the simple life without envy. Seneca responds that we are
not insufficiently healed, but ... insufficiently used to health.
suggesting that Serenus' anguish is commonplace among their Roman contemporaries. Seneca extols study, utility, moderation, and rest. He condemns complaining, suggesting instead a more lighthearted outlook:
It is more civilized to make fun of life than bewail it.
Seneca's writings are a tardis; his words a portal to the past and future. A simple, mindful life full of gratitude is a 2000 year old tested path to happy fulfilled life.
