Seneca on resilience

In history, #stoicism was the first #philosophy that regarded #resilience as a crucial virtue. Every Stoic principle rests on the assumption that resilience delivers important benefits. Why did Stoic philosophers place resilience at the centre of their ethics? Because their #pessimistic expectations had led them to view conflict, #setbacks and poverty as normal events. Stoics expect life to get from bad to worse, with little hope of turning things around. They consider resilience as a major virtue because it enables people to survive, to keep trudging forward in the face of pain and misery. In fact, one could regard the strengthening of one’s soul as the central #purpose of Stoicism. Seneca took over this principle from earlier Stoic philosophers and magnified it. His advice for becoming psychologically strong fills each page of his essays such as “On the Shortness of Life” and of his Letters to Lucilius. Does resilience guarantee #happiness ? No, it does not, but it constitutes a prerequisite of happiness. It enables individuals to deal with negative events without growing discouraged. In his 78th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca explains that resilience plays a crucial role in human happiness. From the 78th Letter, I draw the conclusion that, if we acquire this #virtue , we’ll never stop smiling at life, even when confronted with #adversity . Seneca did not become a Stoic overnight. In his early teens, he had familiarised himself with the ideas of #zeno of Citium (334-262 BC) and Cleanthes (330-230 BC). He was relatively well versed on the #principles of Stoicism, at least in theory. His resilience only developed when he was confronted with severe adversity. I am referring to the pulmonary condition that he faced in his twenties, and the exile he had to endure on the island of #corsica shortly upon his forty-fifth birthday. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/seneca-on-resilience/