Simple Stoic Advice
Settle Vices
Settle Vices
The beautiful thing about Stoic philosophy is the advice contained within it is just as applicable today as it was when it was first written all those many years ago. We can learn a great deal from interpreting the advice provided and using it to our advantage as we go throughout our own lives.
Today’s quote comes to us courtesy of Seneca from his essay On Anger (De Ira), recent translation under the title How to Keep Your Cool (translation by James Romm):
Quote
“Where self-indulgence has ruined both the body and mind, nothing seems bearable, not because the task is hard but because the one doing it is soft.”
Advice
Temperance, one of the four Stoic virtues, can be thought of as self-control. Here, Seneca reflects on how one who is self-indulgent creates weakness both in the mind and in the body.
The Stoics believed in a balance, one that was not filled with too much, and one that was not filled with too little. They were looking for the “just right” spot.
From his essay, On the Shortness of Life, Seneca expands upon the idea that vices control our lives, stating:
“Vices surround and assail men from every side, and do not allow them to rise again and lift their eyes to discern the truth, but keep them overwhelmed and rooted in their desires. Never can they recover their true selves.”
It’s not about having all of it. It’s not about being a minimalist. It’s about finding the sweet spot in between, one where you’re comfortable.
In letters to Lucilius, Seneca preaches the need to practice misfortunate. He recommends each month setting aside time to eliminate things from one’s life for an extended period of time to better help them adjust their perspective and see what it is like to have their fears (things being taken away, living minimally) are truly like.
More often than not, they’re not as bad as we think.
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