(독서) Daily Stoic-8월29일 WANT NOTHING = HAVE EVERYTHING

"The founder of the universe, who assigned to us the laws of life, provided that we should live well, but not in luxury. Everything needed for our well-being is right before us, whereas what luxury requires is gathered by many miseries and anxieties. Let us use this gift of nature and count it among the greatest things." -SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 119.15b ("우주를 창조하신 분, 우리에게 삶의 법칙을 부여하신 분은 우리가 잘 살도록 하셨으나, 사치스럽게 살도록 하지는 않으셨습니다. 우리 복지에 필요한 모든 것은 바로 우리 앞에 있으며, 사치가 요구하는 것은 많은 고난과 불안 속에서 모아집니다. 이 자연의 선물을 사용하고 그것을 가장 큰 것들 중 하나로 여기도록 합시다." - 세네카, 도덕적 편지, 119.15b)   Even in his own time, Seneca was criticized for preaching Stoic virtues while accumulating one of the largest fortunes in Rome. Seneca was so rich that some historians speculate that major loans he made to the inhabitants of what is now Britain caused what became a horrifically brutal uprising there. His critics' derisive nickname for him was "The Opulent Stoic."   Seneca's response to this criticism is pretty simple: he might have wealth, but he didn't need it. He wasn't dependent on it or addicted to it. Nor, despite his large bank account, was he considered to be anything close to Rome's most lavish spenders and pleasure hunters. Whether his rationalization was true or not (or whether he was a tad hypocritical), his is a decent ...

"Heraclitus would shed tears whenever he went out in public- Democritus laughed. One saw the whole as a parade of miseries, the other of follies. And so, we should take a lighter view of things and bear them with an easy spirit, for it is more human to laugh at life than to lament it."-SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 15.2 ("헤라클레이토스는 외출할 때마다 눈물을 흘렸고, 데모크리토스는 웃었습니다. 한 사람은 세상을 고난의 행렬로 보았고, 다른 한 사람은 어리석음의 행렬로 보았습니다. 그러므로 우리는 사물을 가볍게 보고 편안한 마음으로 받아들여야 합니다. 왜냐하면 인생을 비탄하는 것보다 웃는 것이 더 인간적이기때문입니다."- 세네카, 『마음의 평정에 관하여』 15.2)   Is this observation the origin of that famous expression about frustrating news: "I don't know whether to laugh or cry?" The Stoics saw little purpose in getting angry or sad about things that are indifferent to our feelings. Especially when those feelings end up making us feel worse.   It's also another bit of evidence that the Stoics were hardly some depressing, bitter group of old men. Even when things were really bad, when the world made them want to ...

"I was shipwrecked before I even boarded... the journey showed me this-how much of what we have is unnecessary, and how easily we can decide to rid ourselves of these things whenever it's necessary, never suffering the loss."-SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 87.1 ("나는 배에 타기도 전에 이미 난파당한 셈이었다... 그 여행은 나에게 너무 많은 불필요한 것을 가지고 있었음을 깨닫게 해주었고, 우리는 필요할 때마다그러한 것들을 얼마나 쉽게 버릴 수 있는지, 그리고 그로 인해 손실을 결코 겪지 않게 될 수 있다는 것을 가르쳐주었다." - 세네카, 도덕 서한, 87.1)   Zeno, widely considered to be the founder of the school of Stoicism, was a merchant before he was a philosopher. On a voyage between Phoenicia and Peiraeus, his ship sank along with its cargo. Zeno ended up in Athens, and while visiting a bookstore he was introduced to the philosophy of Socrates and, later, an Athenian philosopher named Crates. These influences drastically changed the course of his life, leading him to develop the thinking and principles that we now know as Stoicism. According to the ancient biographer Diogenes Laertius, Zeno joked, "Now that I've suffered shipwreck, I'm on a good journey," or according to another account, "You've done well, Fortune, driving me thus to philosophy," he reportedly said.   ...

"Won't you be walking in your predecessors' footsteps? I surely will use the older path, but if I find a shorter and smoother way, I'll blaze a trail there. The ones who pioneered these paths aren't our masters, but our guides. Truth stands open to everyone, it hasn't been monopolized."-SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 33.11("선조들의 발자취를 따라가는 것이 아닌가요? 저는 분명히 오래된 길을 사용하겠지만, 만약 더 짧고 매끄러운 길을 발견하면, 그곳에 새로운 길을 개척할 것입니다. 이 길을 처음 개척한 사람들은 우리의 주인이 아니라, 우리의 안내자입니다. 진리는 누구에게나 열려 있으며, 독점된 것이 아닙니다." - 세네카, 도덕적 편지, 33.11) Traditions are often time-tested best practices for doing something. But remember that today's conservative ideas were once controversial, cutting-edge, and innovative. This is why we can't be afraid to experiment with new ideas. In Seneca's case, he might be embracing some new philosophical insight that improves on the writing of Zeno or Cleanthes. In our case, perhaps a breakthrough in psychology improves on the writing of Seneca or ...

"I'll never be ashamed to quote a bad writer with a good saying." -SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 11.8 ("나는 결코 나쁜 작가에게서 좋은 말을 인용하는 것을 부끄러워하지 않을 것이다." - 세네카, 마음의 평온에 대하여, 11.8)   One of the striking things about Seneca's letters and essays is how often he quotes the philosopher Epicurus. Why is that strange? Because Stoicism and Epicureanism are supposed to be diametrically opposed philosophies! (In reality the differences while significant tend to be overblown.)   But this is true to form for Seneca. He was looking for wisdom, period. It didn't matter where it came from. This is something that a lot of fundamentalists-in religion, philosophy, anything-seem to miss. Who cares whether some bit of wisdom is from a Stoic, who cares whether it perfectly jibes with Stoicism? What matters is whether it makes your life better, whether it makes you better.   What wisdom or help would you be able to find today if you stopped caring about affiliations and reputations? How much more could you see if you just focused on merit? ...