Quotes and excerpts from the book “On the Tranquility of the Soul”, by Seneca. Lucius Annaeus Seneca or Seneca (4 BC - 65) was a Stoic philosopher, writer, lawyer and Roman politician. He was born in Córdoba (Spain), the son of the orator Lucius Annaeus Seneca. As a child, he went to Rome to study oratory and philosophy, receiving teachings from several masters who introduced him to Stoicism. Later, he began his career as an orator and lawyer, soon being appointed quaestor and then senator. When Nero was named emperor, Seneca became one of his main advisors. Seneca saw the fulfillment of duty as a service to humanity. He sought to apply his philosophy to practice. In 59, disappointed with Nero's bad instincts, Seneca decided to retire from public life. In 65, Seneca was accused of conspiring to assassinate Nero and was forced to commit suicide. In the presence of his friends, he cut his wrists with the serene spirit that he defended in his philosophy. Seneca dealt with themes such as reflection on the soul, human existence, ethics, logic and nature. He proposed equality among men and was against slavery and social inequality. He was one of the main representatives of Stoicism, created by Zeno of Citium, whose main idea was to align virtue with a will that was in accordance with nature, adopting a contemplative stance for a unified vision of the world, through formal logic, non-dualistic physics and naturalistic ethics. Seneca affirmed the need for fraternity and love among men in order to combat the pains of existence. In addition, he also raised questions about ethics and conscience. In his letters, he proposes the practice of Stoicism to make man less emotionally reactive, more self-aware and more resilient, learning to be content with what is enough, without excess. His philosophy is a search for happiness, preparation for disappointments and death. ???? Purchase Seneca's books through our link on Amazon: On Anger / On the Tranquility of the Soul: https://amzn.to/3KtYao6 On the Shortness of Life: https://amzn.to/44V9did Box Letters from a Stoic: https://amzn.to/453DX0U List of Stoicism books: https://amzn.to/3cBklax “I believe greatly in the discernment of great men, I claim something even for my own, for they also left us not only the truths they discovered, but others to be investigated by us, and perhaps they would have discovered the essential if they had not also investigated superfluous things. The subtlety of words took up a lot of their time, captious discussions that uselessly exercise sharpness. We tie and bind an ambiguous concept with words, and then we untie the knot: do we have so much time left? Do we already know how to live and also how to die? With our full intention, we must direct ourselves towards that knowledge which should guard us against being deceived by things, not by words. Therefore, withdraw yourself from these objections and the wits of the philosophers: clear and simple notions are the ones suited to the innate goodness of the soul. By Hercules, I do not want the words that will speak about such grandiose subjects to be dull and arid (philosophy does not renounce ingenuity), but there is no need to spend much effort on words. Let this be the summary of our proposal: what we feel, let us speak, what we speak, let us feel; let language agree with life.” Seneca. “I have withdrawn not only from men, but from occupations, and especially from my occupations: I attend to the affairs of posterity. For them I write some things that may be useful. The good path, which I learned late and wandered wearily, I show to others. But whatever the value of my books, read them as if I were still seeking the truth, not as if I knew it, and as if I were seeking it persistently.” Seneca. “It has often been discussed whether it is better to have moderate passions or none at all. Ours (the Stoics) reject them; the Peripatetics moderate them. I do not see how a moderate illness can be healthy or useful. Just as certain crooked stakes, in order to straighten them, are put in the fire and, after adjusting the wedges, are pressed hard, not to break them but to straighten them, so it is by pain of body and soul that we correct temperaments distorted by vice.” Seneca. Music: Samuel Francis Johnson (https://pixabay.com/users/1207793/) 00:00 - Introduction 01:04 - I. The Tranquility of the Soul 03:12 - II. Don't Waste Your Life 08:38 - III. Be Simple 12:26 - IV. Don't React 15:32 - V. Overcome Adversity 21:01 - VI. Rest 25:10 - VII. Examine Yourself ======================================= ???? Corvo Seco is a study group on non-duality. ???? Help maintain our channel: PIX: [email protected] ???? Instagram: / corvoseco ???? Facebook: / corvoseco ???? Get in touch: [email protected] #Seneca #Estoicism