“Philosophy enables a person to be cheerful within sight of death, brave and cheerful no matter what condition his body is in, not giving up just because the body is giving out. A great captain sails on, even with his canvas in tatters…,” wrote Seneca in a letter to Lucilius. Although philosophy can help us navigate rough seas, philosophy is also for calm seas.
In my conversation with David Fideler (the author of Breakfast with Seneca), he revealed that the sales for Letters from a Stoic by Seneca increased more than 700 percent during the pandemic. There is no wrong time to start searching for wisdom. But, interestingly, many of us wait until we are in the midst of a storm before beginning to search for philosophy.
The philosopher Epicurus observed,
“He who says either that the time for philosophy has not yet come or that it has passed is like someone who says that the time for happiness has not yet come or that it has passed.”
There is indeed no wrong time to seek wisdom or practice philosophy. "Let no one be slow to seek wisdom when they are young nor weary in search of it when they have grown old. For no age is too early or too late for the health of a soul," advised Epicurus.
Calm seas are best for learning to Captain a ship; similarly, good times are best for practicing philosophy. Good times invite us to practice our philosophy on small and manageable obstacles. And hopefully, it will help us to develop our skills to navigate more complex challenges. Deliberately practicing philosophy is an essential aspect of learning how to live.
The Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus taught his students that the person who claims to be studying philosophy must practice it even more diligently than the person who aspires to the art of medicine. “Since philosophy is more important and harder to grasp than any other pursuit.”
Seneca put it this way in a letter to Lucilius, “No one can live a truly happy life, or even a bearable life, without philosophy; while it is complete wisdom that renders a life happy, even to begin that study makes life bearable.”
Whether you turn to philosophy in good times or difficult times — you must remember that wisdom is available to you (if you’re willing to search for it!).
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Thank you for reading; I hope you found something useful.
Until next time, be wise and be well,
P.S. Feel free to leave a comment or question.