[Music] did your friend just remind you that camping trip was over 8 years ago wow time flies maybe you found a list of old goals you wrote for yourself when you were 11 where did the years go by why haven't you done almost any of these things it could feel like you're just letting your life go by like time is moving through you while you've been in the same place the whole time how do you stop feeling like you're just wasting your life this was of primary importance to the stoic Roman philosopher Sena born in
the 1 Century ad senica's writings are just as relevant as ever as we live in an era of consumption and apathy senica provides a sense of urgency that can hopefully snap you out of that rut and get you living the life you've always wanted to live but first what did senica stand for exactly his philosophy falls under stoicism a school of thought that prioritize the cultivation of self-discipline virtue and seeing things as they are while stoicism has been taken as one of the favorite philosophies of Finance Bros and hustle gurus it should be noted that
the stoics were much more into the idea of ataraxia or the achievement of an inner Serenity above any sort of pursuit of money or women in other words the stoics prioritized inner peace above all else this was thought to lead us into living under accordance with nature in some way so this is far from the sort of idea of a stoic that we might have today now what did sakica specifically write about one of his Central concerns was in arguing for the importance of virtue as the highest good and the ultimate source of happiness or
ataraxia now what did living virtuously mean for senica it meant cultivating qualities such as wisdom courage Temperance and Justice these stoic virtues which emphasize awareness and strength against the odds were thought to eventually lead to a sort of inner contentment that would remain stable regardless of external circumstances by aligning one's actions with these stoic virtues individuals could hypothetically attain inner peace and fulfillment regardless of any sort of external circumstances as senica argued virtue is its own reward and so for the poor viewer who feels like they are wasting their life away this is perhaps the
first step in getting out of that rut a little bit of discipline in terms of taking care of yourself as well as the courage to actually begin those goals that you first set out to do will hopefully take you along way from where you currently are but this is of course easier said than done the next core principle underlying senica's philosophy is his idea of desire and diversion senica teaches that true Freedom lies in mastering our desires and diversions as he argues it is not those who have little but rather those who desire more who
are truly poor they can never have enough and thus will never be content in an age of Rapid consumption in the form of brain rotting media and junk food the odds are stacked against us it is pretty hard not to fall into the endless loop of consuming in order to feel better but as you know this is the exact cycle that leads us into wasting our time senica as advocates for freeing ourselves from worldly attachments and seeing them for what they are that is obstacles in the way of cultivating virtue from this he argues that
we should actually practice discomfort and embrace some level of boredom in order to free ourselves from the cycle of Desire now this doesn't mean we need to be having cold showers or we need to go monk mode but I do think his advice to chill out on this life of satisfying every pleasure as soon as possible is worth listening to perhaps there is no greater wakeup call in terms of living virtuously and mastering our desires than in senica's use of momento Mori the reminder that we will die and that life is short senica's philosophy encourages
individuals to confront the reality of their mortality as a means of living more fully and authentically he gives us a stark reminder in his book on the shortness of time you live as if you were destined to live forever no thought of your Frailty ever enters your head of how much time has already gone by you take no heed you squander time as if you drew from a full and abundant Supply though all the while that day which you bestow on some person or thing is perhaps your last we squander so much of our time
as if it isn't our most precious resource to not live with a sense of Duty and purpose is to live foolishly Fring what little life we have for fleeting Pleasures that leave us just as empty as when we first found them of course to go on this journey where one is constantly reminding themselves of death following virtues and avoiding the cycle of Desire one must stay strong senica's overall principle of resilience is an important one to remember the stoic is one who is comfortable with their mortality of a stable and steady mind and sees all
things as as fundamentally impermanent in a hypothetical discussion with nature itself senica illustrates the proper stoic attitude if nature should demand of us that which she has previously entrusted to us we will also say to her take back a better mind than you gave I seek no way of Escape nor flee I have voluntarily improved for you what you gave me without my knowledge take it away what hardship is there in returning to the place whence one has come that man lives badly who does not know how to die [Music] well this video is sponsored
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