Moral Letters

Moral Letters

This is a modern take on Seneca's Moral Letters to Lucilius. I use them as tools in the ongoing search for what it means to live a good life. Although Seneca's words have been mined for centuries, each generation keeps turning up gemstones. I seek to polish old stones to show them in a new light.
Feb
01
Green field with yellow flowers, trees in distance, underneath blue sky

Stoic Wisdom

The power of an idea doesn’t depend on who it came from, but rather how it influences our behavior today.
1 min read
Nov
02
Broad lake view showing reflection of clouds, sky, and sun

Moral Letters in Chronological Order

For easy reference: the Moral Letters in the order they were published.
3 min read
Sep
20
What Are The Moral Letters for Modern Times?

What Are The Moral Letters for Modern Times?

The power of an idea doesn’t depend on who it came from, but rather how it influences our behavior today.
1 min read
Sep
08
Be Patient

Be Patient

All good things come to those who wait.
1 min read
Sep
02
A Little Philosophy Goes A Long Way (Newsletter 062)

A Little Philosophy Goes A Long Way (Newsletter 062)

In our journey to finding happiness, thinking for ourselves is the key to unlock and then banish all the bad habits that may have crept into our lives.
5 min read
Sep
01
124 - On Reason Of The Well-Ordered Mind - Moral Letters for Modern Times

124 - On Reason Of The Well-Ordered Mind - Moral Letters for Modern Times

If you sometimes felt I have given you new burdens by asking you to think and to study, you now know it was to free you of the burden of accepting what everyone else does.
4 min read
Aug
29
123 - On Thinking For Yourself - Moral Letters for Modern Times

123 - On Thinking For Yourself - Moral Letters for Modern Times

What the Stoic rejects is conformity to the illusion that pursuing luxuries will bring satiety, that desiring more will ever bring about the condition of feeling one has enough.
6 min read
Aug
25
122 - On Being A Nonconformist - Moral Letters for Modern Times

122 - On Being A Nonconformist - Moral Letters for Modern Times

No matter how difficult the world becomes when you speak the truth, do you really think it will be better if you tell yourself and others lies instead?
6 min read
Aug
22
121 - On Instincts And Archetypes - Moral Letters for Modern Times

121 - On Instincts And Archetypes - Moral Letters for Modern Times

We have the capacity to respond to our circumstances, and some responses will bring better results than others.
4 min read
Aug
18
120 - On Divining Virtue - Moral Letters for Modern Times

120 - On Divining Virtue - Moral Letters for Modern Times

Repeated observations do not necessarily lead to firmer conclusions, because we are unreliable, biased observers, and inconsistent in our thinking.
6 min read