Cicero on the pleasures of old age

Dying Every Day (Day 73)

Old Age Solitude by Adolph Tideman (1849)

💀 Dying Every Day

Dying Every Day (Stoicism in a Year) is a podcast by the Perennial Leader Project. Each episode turns a selected passage from Stoic philosophy into a guided meditation designed to help you (and me) learn how to live.

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Cicero on the pleasures of old age

Welcome to Dying Every Day (Stoicism in a Year). We’ve made it to Day 73, and we’re learning about the art of growing older from the Roman statesman and philosopher Cicero. Although Cicero was not a Stoic, he was a student of Stoic philosophy.

In an essay titled On Old Age, Cicero wrote,

The course of life cannot change. Nature has but a single path and you travel it only once. Each stage of life has its own appropriate qualities—weakness in childhood, boldness in youth, seriousness in middle age, and maturity in old age. These are fruits that must be harvested in due season.

Cicero continues,

For a man who has been engaged in studies and activities his whole life does not notice old age creeping up on him. Instead, he gradually and effortlessly slips into his final years. […]

Cicero (and the Stoics) stressed the need to accept mortality and live according to nature. Growing old is a natural part of life; it’s not something to resist.

Seneca wisely observed that we cannot have a peaceful life when we think too much about lengthening it. In a letter to his friend Lucilius, Seneca advised,

Rehearse this thought every day, that you may be able to depart from life contentedly; for many men clutch and cling to life, even as those who are carried down a rushing stream clutch and cling to briars and sharp rocks.

Most men ebb and flow in wretchedness between the fear of death and the hardships of life; they are unwilling to live, and yet they do not know how to die. […]

+Adapted from On the Terrors of Death

Strangely, Cicero observed that although many people hope to reach old age, when it comes, most complain about it. Instead of resisting old age, he believed that there was great pleasure in growing old. He once said there is no greater satisfaction in life than a leisurely old age devoted to knowledge and learning.

Reflection Prompt

Consider reflecting (or journaling) on how you think about growing old. You could ask yourself, “What are the pleasures of old age?” and/or “How might learning to embrace aging help you practice your philosophy of life?”

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Thank you for reading/listening; I hope you found something useful.

Until next time, be wise and be well,

J.W.

P.S. I greatly appreciate your time, attention, and support!