Seneca

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Seneca: On the Shortness of Life

Life is long enough to allow the accomplishment of the very greatest things if the whole of it is well invested. But when it is squandered in luxury and carelessness we perceive that it has passed away before we were aware that it was passing.

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Lucius Annaeus Seneca, called Seneca the Younger, was a Roman philosopher, playwright, naturalist, politician and, as a Stoic, one of the most widely read writers of his time. Seneca saw himself as a philosopher who continued the teachings of the Stoa, formulated his own philosophical insights on this ground in a contemporary way and pleaded for lifelong learning.

On the summit postulated by Seneca, the one who has ascended in tenacious determination attains unshakable peace of mind, which is at the same time peace with the nature and cosmic order. The highest good is the harmony of the soul. Only reason can lead to peace of mind, which is described by Seneca as ‘part of the divine spirit, immersed in the human body.’ Only reason can control the affects, the mastery of which, according to Stoic doctrine, paves the way to the highest good. Only reason can lead the philosopher to the realization that life time is limited, that all men are equal before death, and that the wise man should spend his short time in serenity and peace working for the increase of the common goods and philosophical insight.

Seneca

Seneca: On the Shortness of Life

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