On Tranquility of Mind is work by the Stoic philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca, which happened to be his response to Annaeus Serenus, a friend of Seneca. What hardship can there be in returning to the place from whence one came? This book is an anthology of Seneca's personal letters, mostly to his friends asking advice on specific circumstances. Nor indeed has he any reason for fearing her, for he counts not only chattels, property, and high office, but even his body, his eyes, his hands, and everything whose use makes life dearer to us, nay, even his very self, to be things whose possession is uncertain; he lives as though he had borrowed them, and is ready to return them cheerfully whenever they are claimed. Is it dangerous for him even to enter the forum? "We dislike gladiators," says Cicero, "if they are eager to save their lives by any means whatever: but we look favourably upon them if they are openly reckless of them." As Seneca teaches in his work "On the Tranquility of the Mind", it requires balance, compromise and effort. 250-287. The square at the upper left moves the Seneca the Younger (c. 4 BC - AD 65), fully Lucius Annaeus Seneca and also known simply as Seneca, was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, andin one workhumorist of the Silver Age of Latin literature. Yet nothing will free us from these disturbances of the mind so well as always fixing some limit to our advancement. Included in this volume are the dialogues On the Shortness of Life and On Tranquility of Mind, which are eloquent classic statements of Stoic ideals of fortitude and self-reliance.This selection also features extracts from Natural Questions, Seneca's exploration of such phenomena as the cataracts of the Nile and earthquakes, and the Consolation of Helvia, in . You can do so on thispage. I drag the grid into position, and adjust it to be one line long. Then again, when the mind is elevated by the greatness of its thoughts, it becomes ostentatious in its use of words, the loftier its aspirations, the more loftily it desires to express them, and its speech rises to the dignity of its subject. These remarks of mine apply only to imperfect, commonplace, and unsound natures, not to the wise man, who needs not to walk with timid and cautious gait: for he has such confidence in himself that he does not hesitate to go directly in the teeth of Fortune, and never will give way to her. Thus, just as though you were making a perilous voyage, you may from time to time put into harbour, and set yourself free from public business without waiting for it to do so. Reflect, then, how much less a grief it is never to have had any money than to have lost it: we shall thus understand that the less poverty has to lose, the less torment it has with which to afflict us: for you are mistaken if you suppose that the rich bear their losses with greater spirit than the poor: a wound causes the same amount of pain to the greatest and the smallest body. In every station of life you will find amusements, relaxations, and enjoyments; that is, provided you be willing to make light of evils rather than to hate them. He who after surveying the universe cannot control his laughter shows, too, a greater mind than he who cannot restrain his tears, because his mind is only affected in the slightest possible degree, and he does not think that any part of all this apparatus is either important, or serious, or unhappy. His friends were sad at being about to lose so great a man: "Why," asked he, "are you sorrowful? Serenus struggles with . In a complement to his famous advice on our mightiest self-defense against misfortune, Seneca highlights the other side to this notion of not letting ill fortune dispirit us the importance of also not letting our desire for good fortune imprison us into a state of endless striving: With the omission of those things which either cannot be done, or can only be done with difficulty, let us follow the things which are placed near at hand and which offer encouragement to our hopes; but let us remember that all things are equally unimportant, presenting a different appearance on the outside, but equally empty within. Honors bind one man, wealth another; nobility oppresses some, humility others; some are held in subjection by an external power, while others obey the tyrant within; banishments keep some in one place, the priesthood others. What in Seneca's view, is humanities greatest source of affliction? "Silence is a lesson learned through life's many sufferings."-. and 5) the end of section. Yet moderation is wholesome both in freedom and in wine. Neither let us envy those who are in high places: the heights which look lofty to us are steep and rugged. 4. All these symptoms become aggravated when their dislike of a laborious misery has driven them to idleness and to secret studies, which are unendurable to a mind eager to take part in public affairs, desirous of action and naturally restless, because, of course, it finds too few resources within itself: when therefore it loses the amusement which business itself affords to busy men, it cannot endure home, loneliness, or the walls of a room, and regards itself with dislike when left to itself. Of Peace of Mind in plain text (UTF-8). Introduction. De Tranquillitate Animi (On the tranquility of the mind / on peace of mind) is a Latin work by the Stoic philosopher Seneca (4 BC65 AD). Next we must form an estimate of the matter which we mean to deal with, and compare our strength with the deed we are about to attempt: for the bearer ought always to be more powerful than his load: indeed, loads which are too heavy for their bearer must of necessity crush him: some affairs also are not so important in themselves as they are prolific and lead to much more business, which employments, as they involve us in new and various forms of work, ought to be refused. to indicate a header line on the page. Learn and enjoy. What you need, therefore, is, not any of those harsher remedies to which allusion has been made, not that you should in some cases check yourself, in others be angry with yourself, in others sternly reproach yourself, but that you should adopt that which comes last in the list, have confidence in yourself, and believe that you are proceeding on the right path, without being led aside by the numerous divergent tracks of wanderers which cross it in every direction, some of them circling about the right path itself. Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger (/ s n k /; c. 4 BC - 65 AD), usually known mononymously as Seneca, was a Stoic philosopher of Ancient Rome, a statesman, dramatist, and, in one work, satirist, from the post-Augustan age of Latin literature.. Seneca was born in Crdoba in Hispania, and raised in Rome, where he was trained in rhetoric and philosophy. hide. He was a tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero. no comments yet. Let us then teach ourselves to be able to dine without all Rome to look on, to be the slaves of fewer slaves, to get clothes which fulfill their original purpose, and to live in a smaller house. If you ask one of them as he comes out of his own door, "Whither are you going?" If any one doubts the happiness of Diogenes, he would doubt whether the position of the immortal gods was one of sufficient happiness, because they have no farms or gardens, no valuable estates let to strange tenants, and no large loans in the money market. Here is Seneca's Of Peace of Mind in a few different formats. . Download On the Tranquility of the Mind Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle Seneca the Younger (c. 4 BC - AD 65), fully Lucius Annaeus Seneca and also known simply as Seneca, was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and--in one work--humorist of the Silver Age of Latin literature. Need to cancel a recurring donation? Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger usually known as Seneca, was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work, satirist, from the post-Augustan age of Latin literature. September 19, 2021. Consolation to Helvia, On the Tranquility of Mind, and On the Shortness of Liferightfully selected to be the first letters in this anthologyhave some of the best hidden gems of classic practical wisdom. do you think that the example of one who can rest nobly has no value? In all cases one should be careful in one's choice of men, and see whether they be worthy of our bestowing a part of our life upon them, or whether we shall waste our own time and theirs also: for some even consider us to be in their debt because of our services to them. When working all your life with a decent job and not extra time in-between, it is not living your life. From: L. Annaeus Seneca, Minor Dialogs Together with the Dialog "On Clemency"; Translated by Aubrey Stewart, pp. As Lucretius says:, but what does he gain by so doing if he does not escape from himself? kept his version of the title. I have indeed cared for your property, even to my great disadvantage, but, since you command it, I give it back to you and restore it thankfully and willingly If nature should demand of us that which she has previously entrusted to us, we will also say to her: Take back a better mind than you gave: I seek no way of escape nor flee: I have voluntarily improved for you what you gave me without my knowledge; take it away. What hardship is there in returning to the place whence one has come? The Roman worldview during his lifetime was centered around practical and efficient remedies of real life problems. But what pleasure there is in that honest straight-forwardness which is its own ornament, and which conceals no part of its character? Yet he does not hold himself cheap, because he knows that he is not his own, but performs all his duties as carefully and prudently as a pious and scrupulous man would take care of property left in his charge as trustee. adequately express their wonder at this dense darkness of the human mind. The superior position ho sophos (the sage) inhabits, of detachment from earthly (terrena) possibilities of future events of a detrimental nature, is the unifying theme of the dialogues. Only reasoning, caution, and foresight can create in someone the ideal atmosphere of peace. Seneca explains to Serenus how to maintain a tranquil mind, and in doing so runs down the 13 or so high points of Stoic doctrine. professional context. Moreover, we ought to cultivate an easy temper, and not become over fond of the lot which fate has assigned to us, but transfer ourselves to whatever other condition chance may lead us to, and fear no alteration, either in our purposes or our position in life, provided that we do not become subject to caprice, which of all vices is the most hostile to repose: for obstinacy, from which Fortune often wrings some concession, must needs be anxious and unhappy, but caprice, which can never restrain itself, must be more so. Seneca once exchanged letters with his friend Serenus, on how to free the mind from anxiety and worry in a Stoic way. Since the position of the [18] The work opens with Serenus asking Seneca for counsel, and this request for help takes the form of a medical consultation. Nor did he up to the very end cease his search after truth, and raised arguments upon the subject of his own death. Hence comes melancholy and drooping of spirit, and a thousand waverings of the unsteadfast mind, which is held in suspense by unfulfilled hopes, and saddened by disappointed ones: hence comes the state of mind of those who loathe their idleness, complain that they have nothing to do, and view the progress of others with the bitterest jealousy: for an unhappy sloth favours the growth of envy, and men who cannot succeed themselves wish everyone else to be ruined. Hence men undertake aimless wanderings, travel along distant shores, and at one time at sea, at another by land, try to soothe that fickleness of disposition which always is dissatisfied with the present. (It should be noted that this review refers to the 2005 Penguin Great Ideas edition of ON THE SHORTNESS OF LIFE, translated by C. D. N. Costa, which includes the three essays, "On the Shortness of Life," "Consolation to Helvia," and "On Tranquility of Mind.") G. Merritt (It's okay life changes course. The Gutenberg Project is a volunteer effort, so I signed up to provide a cleaned-up, proofread, and formatted version of this 1889 edition to include in their collection. No man has carried the life of a philosopher further. The Stoic writings of the philosopher Seneca, who lived from c. 5 BC to AD 65, offer powerful insights into the art of living, the importance of reason and morality, and continue to provide profound guidance to many through their eloquence, lucidity and timeless wisdom. Often a man who is very old in years has nothing beyond his age by which he can prove that he has lived a long time.". a full page of OCR text. Did my slave run away? For this reason, sometimes slight mishaps have turned into remedies, and more serious disorders have been healed by slighter ones. what office is there whose purple robe, augur's staff, and patrician reins have not as their accompaniment rags and banishment, the brand of infamy, a thousand disgraces, and utter reprobation? On the cult of productivity, and reallydon't be afraid to take a nap. Many men spend their lives in exactly the same fashion, which one may call a state of restless indolence. 250-287. Thus one journey succeeds another, and one sight is changed for another. Serenus was a friend of Seneca's and also a protector of the Roman Emperor, Nero. In this paper, I will defend the claim that people should limit their possessions to be less exposed to sudden misfortunes, made by Seneca in the dialogue "On the Tranquility of Mind" from the objection that sufficient property can repel any misfortune. - Seneca. But whenever my spirit is roused by reading some brave words, or some noble example spurs me into action, I want to rush into the law courts, to place my voice at one man's disposal, my services at another's, and to try to help him even though I may not succeed, or to quell the pride of some lawyer who is puffed up by ill-deserved success: but I think, by Hercules, that in philosophical speculation it is better to view things as they are, and to speak of them on their own account, and as for words, to trust to things for them, and to let one's speech, simply follow whither they lead. Some rest in the middle of the day, and reserve some light occupation for the afternoon. But I fear that custom, which confirms most things, implants this vice more and more deeply in me. Isocrates laid hands upon Ephorus and led him away from the forum, thinking that he would be more usefully employed in compiling chronicles; for no good is done by forcing one's mind to engage in uncongenial work: it is vain to struggle against Nature. by say you. How large a part of mankind never think of storms when about to set sail? Monteleone translated tranquillitas animi as, mental equilibrium. Neither should you engage in anything from which you are not free to retreat: apply yourself to something which you can finish, or at any rate can hope to finish: you had better not meddle with those operations which grow in importance, while they are being transacted, and which will not stop where you intended them to stop. A grid is adjusted by moving the mouse to one of the three squares and dragging up or down. The inventor of wine is called Liber, not from the licence which he gives to our tongues, but because he liberates the mind from the bondage of cares, and emancipates it, animates it, and renders it more daring in all that it attempts. Hence arises that weariness and dissatisfaction with oneself, that tossing to and fro of a mind which can nowhere find rest, that unhappy and unwilling endurance of enforced leisure. at the lower right increases or decreases the number of rows (but keeps the height of each row the same). It all seemed to work OK. Seneca: Letter IV-On Death and Tranquility. You do not choose to direct the affairs of the state except as consul or prytanis[2] or meddix[3] or sufes:[4] what should we say if you refused to serve in the army save as general or military tribune? This dislike of other men's progress and despair of one's own produces a mind angered against fortune, addicted to complaining of the age in which it lives to retiring into corners and brooding over its misery, until it becomes sick and weary of itself: for the human mind is naturally nimble and apt at movement: it delights in every opportunity of excitement and forgetfulness of itself, and the worse a man's disposition the more he delights in this, because he likes to wear himself out with busy action, just as some sores long for the hands that injure them and delight in being touched, and the foul itch enjoys anything that scratches it. Elaine Fantham, Harry M. Hine, James Ker, Gareth D. Williams (2014). We ought, however, first to examine our own selves, next the business which we propose to transact, next those for whose sake or in whose company we transact it. Friend of Seneca & # x27 ; s personal letters, mostly to his friends asking on! 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