In stoic philosophy it is important to live a happy life while also being conscious that tragedy could strike at any given moment. To me it seems almost impossible to be happy with those thoughts in my head. On one side of things, I think a happy life wouldn't consist of any of that. I think of the saying, "Ignorance is Bliss" and immediately I think of how happy children are, how happy I was before I knew what tragedy and death were. Wouldn't it be easier to live without considering those saddening possibilities? On the contrast, I can see it being useful to treat every moment as if it could be the last, because it would let one live without regret; always letting their loved ones know they love them, not holding grudges, and living life to the fullest. This sounds like the way to go, however, it must take time to get past the difficulty of dwelling on the possibility of death all the time.
What is the point of building up a life of happiness, when it is inevitable that you will someday face tragedy of some sort? If you never saw the tragedy coming, it will only hurt you much worse, and all the happiness you protected would be destroyed. At least if you are open to the idea that tragedies may occur, when they do, it will not shock you, therefore lessening the effect of sadness. Explained neatly in a quote of the book, "because we are injured most by what we do not expect, and because we must expect everything, we must, proposed Seneca, hold the possibility of disaster in mind at all times. No one should undertake a journey by car, or walk downstairs, or say goodbye to a friend, without an awareness of fatal possibilities."(119) With that being said, for those who are willing, you should live with a openness to everything. Even if it is hard to think about initially, it will only protect you in the long run. It is everyone's own choice of weather they want to live in ignorance or in reality to protect their happiness.
To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school…it is to solve some of the problems of life, not only theoretically, but practically. – Henry David Thoreau
Yes!! i totally agree with not holding grudges, it seems to me to just be wasted energy while we could put that into other things like saying i love you to people (from family to friends.) I like how you said we have to be open to tragedies and pretty much accept that they happen. Good job with all of this though, i defiantly agree with all of what you wrote.
ReplyDeleteI agree that you shoud be aware that anything could happen at any moment. Though I do not think that it has to be to that extent of every minute and every day. Do you think that his worrying is reasonable or not?
ReplyDeleteLove your ending! I feel like you really broke down what Seneca was trying to say in simple terms. Being open to all possibilities so that they won't surprise you when they come is a really good skill to have. Unfortunately, it's really hard to learn. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI like your point about not building up happiness only to be let down again. What's the point? Of course we want to enjoy things in life that make us happy, but we also need to be prepared for the worst while still hoping for the best.
ReplyDeleteGreat exploration of Seneca's philosophy. While, as you said, it can be challenging at the beginning to think of the worst that can happen, what do you think it takes to cross over to where that awareness helps one focus on the beauty of our fleeting world?
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