The main benefits from reading Seneca today

Few people read books written a hundred years ago. Even fewer show interest in books written two thousand years ago. I am one of those exceptions, one of the few who regularly devotes time to reading Seneca. I love reading Seneca’s essays and his Letters to Lucilius because they deliver one important benefit: They prompt me to reassess my priorities. Seneca’s insights give me the strength to quit unpromising projects, concentrate on the key objectives, and use my time more productively. In his 5th and 20th Letters to Lucilius, Seneca presented the principle of moderation, and explained its universal, perennial interest. It doesn’t matter where we live, which profession we practise, or how old we are. We can all benefit from embracing moderation in thinking and action, argued Seneca. Thanks to his moderate policies, the Roman Emperor Augustus (63 BC-14 AD) achieved prosperity and stability. His successors abandoned his policies and almost ruined the Empire. Moderation enables us to employ our energies wisely. If we steer away from high-risk projects and extreme emotions, we’ll maintain our capacity to think clearly and work effectively. For Seneca, moderation constitutes the pillar of wisdom. In the 48th Letter to Lucilius, he warns us against blind passions. I find the lesson harder to practise than to grasp intellectually. When someone experiences success, he will face strong and frequent temptations to abandon moderation. He will see right away the advantages of immoderate action, but the drawbacks might remain hidden. Even well-educated persons can fall prey to the enticements of immoderate action. The Macedonian prince Alexander (356-323 BC), educated by Aristotle, first grew into a well-balanced youth, but changed when his father died. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/the-main-benefit-from-reading-seneca-today/