In letters from a stoic 30, Seneca talks about their friend Bassus who is extremely ill and about to draw his last breath. Despite being extremely weak, the man’s mind is still very active. Seneca has attributed this to philosophy. “Philosophy bestows this boon upon us; it makes us joyful in the very sight of death, strong and brave no matter in what state the body may be, cheerful…
In letters from a stoic 29, Seneca talks about how to correct people’s fault. He is talking in the letter about their friend Marcellinus who seemed to be willful in recognizing his mistakes. “He seldom comes to see me, for no other reason than that he is afraid to hear the truth, and at present he is removed from my danger of hearing it; for one must not talk to…
In seneca letter 28, Seneca talks about traveling as a cure for our problems. Some of us turn to travel to forget our problems. While this may work at times, it cannot solve problems that are deeply rooted in our soul. We access our souls through our minds and heart. If we want a long-term solution we need to change ourselves - our thoughts and perception as well as…
In letters from a stoic 27, Seneca asked Lucilius to pursue virtue. One of the fundamental stoic teachings is that virtue is the only absolute good and is sufficient to make us happy. The Stoics said this repeatedly. In this letter, Seneca describes virtue. “Cast about rather for some good which will abide. But there can be no such good except as the soul discovers it for itself…
In letters from a stoic 26, Seneca talked about the frailty of his body. When he wrote the letters to Lucilius, he already retired from public office and devoted his life to inspiring younger generations through his writings. Though his body has tremendously declined, Seneca said he still has a very sharp mind. In letters 15, Seneca stressed how important it is to prioritize the mind over the…