🏛️ Sundays with Seneca
Sundays with Seneca is a weekly series exploring the writings (and Stoic philosophy) of Lucius Annaeus Seneca. Each meditation delivers a contemporary interpretation of one of Seneca’s letters, accompanied by a reflection exercise. *** This series is exclusive to members.
Dear fellow travelers,
As a reminder, after a break from the Sundays with Seneca series, I’m excited to announce its relaunch. (Here’s last week’s, in case you missed it: How We Lose Our Days). This time around, I’m sharing 52 of my favorite letters, sometimes with audio and sometimes without. And at the end of each letter, you’ll find a reflection exercise aimed at helping turn these words into works.
If you’d like to become a member, there are a few ways to do so: (1) subscribe for $5 a month or $39 a year; (2) use this 50% discount link if you need assistance; and (3) if you can’t afford it, please accept a complimentary membership.
Lastly, throughout this series, feel free to share your ideas, questions, or suggestions in the comments!
Be wise and be well.
J.W.
Not Fearing Life or Death
Letter 4, On the Terrors of Death
Keep going with your efforts, my dear Lucilius, and hurry so you can enjoy, for as long as possible, a mind that is improved and at peace. There is joy even while you are working on improving it, but a deeper, more lasting joy when the mind is fully cleansed of every stain and shines with clarity.
You remember the joy you felt when you set aside the clothes of boyhood, put on the toga, and were led to the forum. Yet a greater joy awaits you when you abandon the mindset of boyhood, and wisdom welcomes you as a true adult. What sticks with us is not just boyhood, but boyishness. We carry the authority of age along with childish follies—and even those of infants. Boys fear trivial things, children fear shadows, and we fear both.
Keep Learning
All you need to do is keep moving forward; then you’ll see that some things are less frightening because they once terrified you. No evil is truly great if it is the worst of all evils. Death comes; it would be something to fear if it could stay with you. But death either never arrives or comes and goes.
“It is difficult,” you say, “to bring the mind to a point where it can scorn life.” But notice how small the reasons are that lead many to scorn it.
