Life, properly regarded, is only a journey toward death. We take for granted that they will be with us forever, and we grieve at their loss but loss is the more normal event-it is what we should have expected all along. We assume that we own things-family, wealth, position-whereas we have only borrowed them from Fortune. Marcia’s grief, for Seneca, exemplifies a universal human blindness. His command of the written word was so deft, his rhetorical skills so subtle, that it was easy for him to help himself while also helping others. Nothing can be proven, but the theory fits with a pattern of opportunism in much of Seneca’s work.

Seneca would play the same rhetorical trick his entire life, allowing his readers to listen in on what seemed to be an intimate exchange. 40, takes the form of a letter addressed to a mother grieving for a dead son, but it was meant to be read widely. ROMAN PROVERB –loc 47Ĭonsolation to Marcia, written about A.D. If you put up with the crimes of a friend, you make them your own. My HighlightsĪmici vitia si feras, facias tua. Harpagus’ choking reply was “At a king’s table, every meal is pleasant.” The flattery at least gained him this, Seneca says grimly: he did not have to finish his meal. How did Harpagus like his dinner? the king asked, with Caligulan cruelty. The king took a gory revenge: he served Harpagus a stew of his own children’s flesh, then showed him the severed heads to reveal what he had eaten. Harpagus served as chief minister to a Persian king but offended his master by disregarding an order. History is super fucking interesting and way better than anything we can make up.Įlsewhere in De Ira Seneca calls to mind the sufferings of Asian viziers in old Greek legends.

Seneca’s letters are a source of immense wisdom still today… but when added into the context of his life, his goals, and his aspirations they can take on a totally different slant. We are dying every day, all of us Key Takeaways We wrongly say that the old and sick are “dying,” when infants and youths are doing so just as certainly.

If you like history or philosophy, it is an excellent read. Discusses palace intrigues with the emperor Nero. Quick Summary: An overview of the life of Seneca, putting his philosophical works into context with his life and surroundings.

James romm dying every day