Reading & the Good Life
Join the conversation! Every Friday at Noon EST, Perennial Meditations readers are welcome to gather for Reading & the Good Life (Join here), a space for connection, contemplation, and conversations on the art of living! This week continues our exploration of the writing and wisdom of Lucius Annaeus Seneca through David Fideler’s (a previous podcast guest) great book Breakfast with Seneca: A Stoic Guide to the Art of Living.
Who is Lucius Annaeus Seneca?
As many of you know, every Sunday, we explore one of Lucius Annaeus Seneca's (4 BC to 65 AD) letters. Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and advisor to Emporer Nero. He is most known for his philosophical works, including a dozen essays and one hundred twenty-four letters. Seneca's letters are mainly to Lucilius and cover several timeless topics, from wisdom to death and everything in between. His letters, known today as Letters from a Stoic, are filled with timeless wisdom.
Dying Every Day (and Living Well)
“To live a long life,” Seneca observed, “you need Fate, but to live well depends on your character.” It is interesting to consider the notion that we are “dying every day,” as Seneca stressed. We don’t typically think about our past being in death’s hands. But from a practical sense — it’s true.
Last year is in death’s hands, along with the previous month and yesterday. Even a few moments ago, when you started reading this meditation.
We are dying every moment.
In Breakfast with Seneca, Fideler writes,
A Stoic wants to live well—and living well means dying well, too. A Stoic lives well through having a good character, and death is the final test of it. While every death will be a bit different, the Roman Stoics believed that a good death would be characterized by mental tranquility, a lack of complaining, and gratitude for the life we’ve been given.
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