Philosophical lessons from Seneca’s life (Part 2)

Due to the edict issued by Emperor Claudius, #seneca spent eight years in exile in Corsica. His property, family and friends had remained in Rome. Since the imperial edict had not specified the length of the exile, Seneca believed that he would have to stay in Corsica for the rest of his life. When Seneca first set foot on Corsica, he was only forty-five years old, far too young to give up all hope. Nevertheless, he had witnessed how exile had gone for other people. None of them had been pardoned; none of them had ever returned to Rome. Fortunately, Seneca had already become a solid philosopher, one that would not lose countenance due to setbacks, no matter how severe or painful those would be. Before the imperial edict sending him to exile, Seneca had become an expert on Stoic philosophy. He knew the #principles in detail and had discussed them extensively with his friends. It had never occurred to him, however, that he would be facing such a terrible situation himself, a situation that had arisen out of the blue. Seneca faced his exile on Corsica by employing exactly the same principle that has served him well a decade earlier during his period of severe illness; as a Stoic, he committed himself to making the best of each day; and as a pragmatic, he figured out how to render his exile as pleasant as possible. From the 76th Letter to Lucilius, I realize that Seneca must have ended up viewing his exile as an opportunity to deepen his #wisdom . Also in his essay “On Providence,” he described misfortunes as chances to practise virtue and gain wisdom. Seneca’s resolve to reframe his exile as an opportunity was remarkable, and illustrates #stoicism at its best. Instead of falling prey to depression, Seneca kept a cool head, stayed productive, and made his lifestyle as comfortable as possible. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/philosophical-lessons-from-senecas-life-part-2/