September 16th, 2014
Seneca was a Roman philosopher who believed that, “True happiness is… to enjoy the present without anxious dependence upon the future.” He thought that frustration was usual a cause of “the collision of a wish with an unyielding reality” (p.80, Consolation of Philosophy) Seneca though that rather than wallowing your emotions, people should think about the situation that caused their pain and whist they could do about it. He did not believe that oneself should suppress their emotions but take control over them.
Seneca believed that people must take advantage of everyday and act as though it's your last. There is no sense in being caught in frustration because you’ll miss out on more important things in life. In order to “endure frustrations” people must prepare themselves by being realistic and understanding all aspects of a situation. People must know that people cannot control reality or change other people, so instead they must work on themselves. People should not get caught up in worrying about something that has not happened or may not happen but should be practical when it comes to the future.
To be happy, you must focus on the present and be grateful for the moment. By taking advantage of life and living in the moment you allow yourself to be reasonable and balanced with issues you may face.I agree with Seneca, in that people must be realistic about life and their expectations or else they will set themselves up for disappointment. If people allow themselves to be grateful for being alive, healthy and happy today but know that that might not stay the same in the future, they open themselves up to life and everything it offers.
I think it was great how you said people cannot control reality or other people so we have to change ourselves. People are quick to blame someone else for their mistakes but Seneca is saying that we should look to ourselves for the problems. You did a good job in getting that point across.
ReplyDeleteI like how you said people should live their everyday as it is the last day. A lot people like to procrastinate, because they believe there is always a tomorrow. But at the end they end up not doing what they suppose to do. Then people started to frustrate and regard what they did. I'm not saying it is the only reason of frustration, but I do believe if everyone plan out their day and be productive, people will be happier.
ReplyDeleteGood summary of Seneca's philosophy in particular, and Stoic philosophy in general. I can tell you were engaged in the reading and see whys of applying it in your life.
ReplyDeleteI really like how we have different views upon how Seneca believed about certain things. I like seeing the other side and opinion about him. It makes me think about if I may have misinterpreted his beliefs.
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