On the Shortness of Life

On the Shortness of Life is a 2,000 year old, 20-page masterpiece by Seneca, Roman stoic philosopher and teacher to the emperors, about time and how to best use it, to ensure you lead a long and fulfilling life.

A good question to ask yourself, to determine if an activity is worthwhile, is this: “If I did this for 24 hours straight, what would it amount to?” If the answer is “nothing” or not much, then you know it’s one of the activities Seneca considers the trivialities that make life seem short, when it really isn’t.

Three typical kinds of such activities are those supposed to lead to:

Leisure. He who spends all of his work day fantasizing about the tranquility of retirement, will never truly retire. Luxury. He who works only for the next car, house or vacation, will always worry about where it’ll come from. Legacy. He who hopes for the grandeur of his tombstone, will spend much of his life planning an event he can neither attend nor control.

I’m guilty of the last one sometimes. Don’t spend your life preparing for life. The life in the future you’re working towards may never come, so don’t defer what matters to your 50s, 60s and 70s, for they may never come. To close out in Seneca’s words:

To illustrate the difference between merely being busy and living a life of actual value, Seneca draws from naval vocabulary. The above quote relates to giving up your comfort zone, getting out there and living your life. Seneca remarks that how a ship fares on its journey matters too.

This “tossing about” happens in many ways: Some adjust course far too often, others never adjust at all, and some know they should but say they’ll do it later – and then never do.

Worst of all, however, is to let someone else’s vision be the wind behind your sails. What’s the point of spending your life worried about things that are not yours to worry about, working for someone who’s set sail to where you never want to go?

Once you see past possessions, pastime and power, Seneca says you will find peace in the fact that true self-worth comes from within. You’re independent and self-reliant when you ground your thinking in the following two truths: You will always be able to contemplate life and its deepest meanings. You will always have the choice to appreciate its beauty. No other mortal can ever take these two things from you. In sickness and in health, in poverty and wealth, in good times and in bad, they will always be yours. So exercise these powers and take solace in their presence. Being offended…