Read carefully. This advice could help you improve your wellness.
I found gold reading Seneca’s correspondence with the Roman governor of Sicilia in Nero’s time, Lucilius.
In one of these famous letters, Seneca talks to him about happiness, and between the lines, he gives him the guidelines to achieve it.
Let’s begin.
1. What happiness is not
“You wish to attain happiness, but you are mistaken if you pretend to find it among riches and honors, that is, among cares. These things in which you strive, hoping that they will procure you joy and pleasure, are the cause of pain.” — Seneca.
In this sentence, three words are the most critical “striving,” “waiting,” and “pain”.
The mechanics of desire is always the same: anticipation until attainment.
And in both cases, you suffer: 1) while waiting for what you dream of being achieved, and 2) when you discover that it does not fill your existential emptiness, and you must keep looking for other things and repeat the cycle.
Therefore, Seneca is direct: neither money, sex, nor possessions will make you happy because pleasure is not the same as happiness.
2. What is happiness
“The wise man is the man full of joy, smiling, serene and unmovable; he lives on the same level as the gods.” — Seneca.
For Seneca, the wise man was the bearer of wisdom, which was equal to joy and happiness. He said, “The effect of wisdom is an ever-equal joy. The soul of the wise man is like that of the world above the moon, where serenity reigns.”
Therefore it is in peace of mind that we find genuine happiness, not in the absence of setbacks nor abundance, but in having peace of mind in any circumstance.
And that isn’t easy. But Seneca will show us how to achieve it in his letter.
3. How to achieve happiness
“Fear comes to the one above as to the one below, all sides threaten ruin.” — Seneca.
In his Letter to Lucilius, Seneca confesses that he has been reading Quintus Sextius. And he tells him that Sextius holds that a good army marches in the form of a squadron to meet the enemy by any of its flanks when the enemy appears.
And that we, as apprentices of the good life, have to do the same if we want to reach wisdom and, therefore, happiness.
We have to surround ourselves with virtues on all sides because we never know where the metaphorical enemy will attack us, be it a tragedy, death, illness, or ruin.
In other words: the best treatment is prevention.
Cultivate your body, watch your diet, acquire new capacities, and do not neglect your accounts, and you will be able to continue living in peace when misfortune surprises you for some of your flanks.
4. Conclusion
“The wise man, armed against every attack, ever vigilant, will not turn back a foot if poverty, mourning, ignominy, pain attack him; he will walk undaunted against these scourges and in the midst of them.”- Seneca.
We leave everything to the last moment and get distracted by mundane things that take away capital, health, time, and energy. If, on the contrary, we would anticipate leading a virtuous life, how many headaches would we save ourselves?
I know it’s boring to diet, but it’s always better than diabetes.
I know it’s boring to be fit, but it’s always better than being sedentary.
I know it’s boring to have to retrain every year because technology is moving so fast, but it’s worse to be unemployed and not get a new job.
I know it is boring to live diligently, but the truth is that when the storm comes, it is better to have the foresight and to have left the house with an umbrella, right?
Therefore, if you want to be happy, be wise and cultivate mental stability by following these tips 1) stay away from excesses, that is not happiness 2) do your homework and avoid laziness 3) face the storm calmly because life is an adventure, and if you cultivate your gifts and virtues, you will be prepared.
A virtual hug
AG
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