Seneca: myths about the good life

In the search for #happiness , it is as important to do the right thing as it is to avoid dire mistakes. #seneca put together a list of mistakes to avoid, and warned us against our natural tendency to look for shortcuts. When it comes to #virtue , character and happiness, I am afraid that every inch of progress needs to be earned. Every millimetre of ground needs to be conquered. There is no way to magically jump forward and avoid the required effort. Let us review the list of mistakes compiled by Seneca in his essays and in his Letters to Lucilius. I regard them as “myths about the good life” because people who make those mistakes actually believe that they are making great choices. Many people subscribe to the myth that virtue and reason are not worth it, and that it is pointless to invest in the future, because life is too short. Seneca attacked this myth in his essay “On the Brevity of Life.” Seneca condemns people who perform evil, reckless actions and then rationalize those by pointing at the brevity of life. In a life well lived, countered Seneca, there is enough time to do the right thing, provided that we avoid evil, foolish activities. We should spend our time, says Seneca, as judiciously as we spend our money. To illustrate his recommendation, Seneca refers to Emperor #augustus (63 BC-14 AD). Augustus’ achievements, affirmed Seneca, could have been greater if he had not wasted large amounts of time on trivial matters. Augustus could have delegated those to his assistants, but he insisted on handling them himself. Overcommitment is incompatible with the good life, argued Seneca, because it will distract our attention and consume time that we should have devoted to pursuing crucial goals. Unfortunately, overcommitment feels great at the beginning because it flatters our vanity. It makes us feel indispensable or superior. It creates the delusion that the world revolves around us and that we are capable of handling conflicting #priorities . Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/seneca-myths-about-the-good-life/