Seneca on living without regrets

Living without regret is a crucial element of happiness, but it is easier said than done. Seneca devoted many pages to this subject because he was aware of the difficulty. It’s far from self-evident to let go of past mistakes, #setbacks and defeats. #seneca devoted his essay “On Clemence” to praising the benefits of leniency and #forgiveness towards other people, but failed to point out the importance of exercising those virtues also towards ourselves. Although “On Clemence” does not deal primarily with living without regret, it advises Emperor Nero (37-68 AD) to show clemency towards his enemies, explaining that clemency will also benefit its practitioner. It will reconcile him with the world and help him understand the #weakness of human nature. Seneca recommends Nero to govern the Roman Empire “in a firm, but gentle manner.” Fair enough, but how many people are able to govern themselves “in a firm, but gentle manner.” I have witnessed too many cases of individuals going to one or the other extreme. Either they apply excessive firmness and flagellate themselves psychologically for their errors, or they apply excessive leniency and abandon all ethical standards. Seneca correctly regarded excessive severity and excessive leniency as inhibitors of happiness. Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) exercised leniency on many occasions, but did it serve him well? Arguably not, since he was eventually murdered by beneficiaries of his past leniency. Caesar may have exercised leniency because he wanted to live without regret; he had already bought into the doctrine that Seneca would preach one generation later, namely, that it’s fine to err on the side of forgiveness. Seneca’s formula for living without regret requires careful calibration. If we go overboard on the side of leniency, we will fall prey to untamed passions; and if we go overboard on the side of severity, we’ll be harmed by #psychological or physical revenge. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/seneca-on-living-without-regrets/