How
do you have a happy life with the possibility that something bad could happen
at any second?
Personally,
I don’t think you can. If you are
constantly thinking and worrying about how this may be the last time you see
someone or that a natural disaster could occur at any moment, it is impossible
to live a satisfying life. It is okay to
have these thoughts in the back of your head, and allow them to resurface once
in a while, but living in constant fear will not lead to a fulfilling
life.
One positive side of being aware of the endless “what
if’s” is that it helps people appreciate their lives as they currently
are. People who choose to view the world
like this are forced to live consciously in the moment because if they don’t,
then they will just spend their whole life suffering.
Obviously disaster and death are part of our world, but
it is a conscious decision to let these things upset you and affect your daily
life, or not. This touches on another
one of Seneca’s teachings, about how humans are in control of their emotions
and can decide whether or not to allow events to cause you to get flustered or
not. If you intentionally decide not to
think about the immeasurable amount of things that could go wrong in the world,
then you can, for the most part, live a carefree and content life. Everyone has the option to decide how he or
she wants to feel about different situations in our daily lives, and overall
can control whether the level of happiness in their life.
I enjoyed how you started your essay with a question it really made me think. I think that it is possible to have a happy life while worrying about what could happen in the future as long they don't obsess with it. I liked how even though you disagreed with the question you still added pros of the other side of the argument.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Seneca is a pessimist? I don't read him that way but I can understand why people do? Is there a balance between recognize what can go wrong - and therefore not being overly upset when it does - and focusing on what is positive about the reality we find ourselves in?
ReplyDeleteYour post really made me think about my post too because I talked about the same thing. I really liked how you opened up with a question, it made me think about how I live my life and if I worry too much or think about disasters. I really like this topic.
ReplyDeleteI like how you started out saying that you didn't agree with Seneca's philosophy but then talked about how it could be useful to think about it that way. I don't necessarily think that Seneca is was negative as you think he is but I can see where you're coming from.
ReplyDeleteI really like that you started out with a question. Also, I like that you were able to find a positive side to where others may see Seneca as a negative thinker. It's great that you shared your personal view at the beginning from the question you asked.
ReplyDelete