In Seneca letter 63, "On Grief for Lost Friends," addresses the emotional response to the death of a friend and offers Stoic wisdom on managing grief. Seneca acknowledges the naturalness of sorrow but advises moderation, promoting a philosophical approach to dealing with loss. This letter serves as a guide on maintaining emotional balance and finding peace after a loved one's departure. Seneca starts by expressing sympathy…
In Letter 61, "On Meeting Death Cheerfully," is a profound exposition on accepting and preparing for death as a natural part of life. Seneca uses this letter to emphasize the importance of living well in the present moment, with an awareness of death's inevitability, encouraging a stance of readiness rather than fear. "I am endeavouring to live every day as if it were a complete life." Seneca Tweet This Quote…
In letters from a Stoic, the Roman Senator and Stoic philosopher Seneca would write to his friend Lucilius to remind him of the shortness of human lives and why we should live it on a per-day basis. To make a point, he would borrow a remark from the philosopher Heraclitus saying “One day is equal to every day.” He goes to explain that “One day is equal…
Memento Mori, a Latin phrase which means “Remember You Must Die”, is a popular practice among ancient stoics to remind themselves of their mortality. This might sound unusual after hearing it for the first time and for some sounds scary but actually it can make one be more appreciative of the present. Seneca, a popular stoic philosopher, said that one of his friends has a daily ritual by sitting aside a coffin with some wine…
One of the things that the stoics talk frequently in their works is the idea of death. It’s probably, for most of us weird, to even talk about it but the stoics had a clever way of putting death into perspective to deal with the difficulties of life, especially anxiety. Here are 5 ways the ancient stoics view death:Death is a natural process.“And what dying is—and that if you…
