Seneca can be mentioned among the most famous philosophers of all times, and he is the most famous Stoic philosopher. His works including the four letters can be acclaimed as a piece of eternal wisdom which added to the progress of humanity in the broadest meaning of these words. Generally, the four letters of Seneca can be evaluated as a thorough piece of Stoic thought on such eternal themes as cosmic determinism, human freedom, morality, intellectual development, and the importance of controlling one’s emotions.
Speaking about the significance of the content of his letters, it should be mentioned that it can be hardly underestimated. Seneca’s ideas developed in these letters are still timely and meaningful even nowadays after thousands of years to pass. And this is no wonder as in his works he addressed the most important eternal topics of genesis and the meaning of life including cosmic determinism, human freedom, morality, intellectual development, and the importance of controlling one’s emotions. There are numerous interesting ideas in these letters, and in this paper the most significant of them (on my mind) will be addressed. In particular, the idea of facing difficulties in life as a road to perfection is still accepted nowadays as an eternal truth. Namely, Seneca wrote: “a gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials” (185).
This idea is very interesting especially in our modern society of consumers who are accustomed that money grow on trees, and are “overfed” with what they in life. In case of the slightest difficulty that such people meet on their road they are “killed”. However, Seneca’s massage related in the above mentioned quotation is of great importance to such people as they must understand that difficulties and even hardships is a normal stage on a way to success. Numerous examples of modern people support this claim by Seneca including Steve Jobs, John Kennedy and many more. I completely agree with the above-mentioned statement by Seneca, and I saw it trueness many times in my own life. Whenever I want to rise into a new level I must go through severe tests and trials.
Further, one more important idea in Seneca’s letters became very appealing to me which is “as long as you live, keep learning how to live” (239). What can be more important for successful living than knowledge? Without knowledge it is hardly possible to go through the problems we face in our lives; and even any daily activity requires knowledge in order to accomplish it in the best way possible. The more practical knowledge one has, the more successful the person is as a result. I definitely agree with this wise saying by this ingenious sophist. Those people who hate knowledge hate themselves. I realized very well in my own life how important it is to be diligent about gaining knowledge. The more knowledge you have and the more you are skilled in applying them into practice, the better position you will occupy on your life, and the more happiness you will gain as a result.
Concluding on all the information related above, it should be stated that Seneca is an ingenious representative of the philosophic school of Stoics. His ideas are sober and practical, and they are connected to the most important phenomena in people’s life including cosmic determinism, human freedom, morality, intellectual development, and the importance of controlling one’s emotions.
Works Cited
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus. Stoic Philosophy of Seneca: Essays and Letters, The United States: W. W. Norton & Company, 1968. Print.