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.
Sep
02
Field of freshly cut hay - Moral Letters to Lucilius

020 - On Consistency - Moral Letters for Modern Times

The way to identify a wise person is to observe the one who maintains consistency in the face of passions all around them.
3 min read
Aug
30
Trees in silhouette with purple light - Moral Letters to Lucilius

019 - On Retirement - Moral Letters for Modern Times

How much better to choose the time of your leaving yourself.
3 min read
Aug
23
Lake with clouds reflected and indirect light - Moral Letters to Lucilius

017 - On Wealth - Moral Letters for Modern Times

Once one’s feet are stuck on the path to wealth, the scantest few manage to pry themselves from it.
3 min read
Aug
19
Arial view of city buildings with ocean in background - Moral Letters to Lucilius

016 - On True And False Philosophy - Moral Letters for Modern Times

Remember that philosophy is neither just for show, nor for other people’s benefit.
3 min read
Aug
16
Great Wall of China - Moral Letters to Lucilius

015 - On Exercise Routines - Moral Letters for Modern Times

Your body is a machine that deserves tending to be sure, but are you the engineer or merely a mechanic?
3 min read
Aug
12
Winding canal by Imperial Palace - Moral Letters to Lucilius

014 - On Keeping A Low Profile - Moral Letters for Modern Times

I say this: the mob will hate you if you are wrong, and they will hate you even more if you are right.
4 min read
Aug
09
Asian-style buildings in mountains - Moral Letters to Lucilius

013 - On Anxiety - Moral Letters for Modern Times

There are more things, Deuteros, apt to worry us than there are to wound us; but we’re harmed in our heads more than by anyone else’s hand
5 min read
Aug
05
River with boat and buildings reflected in calm water - Moral Letters to Lucilius

012 - On Aging - Moral Letters for Modern Times

There is no greater pleasure than being able to look back on a life of proper thoughts and actions.
3 min read
Aug
02
Skyscrapers with sunlight reflecting on windows - Moral Letters to Lucilius

011 - On Introverts - Moral Letters for Modern Times

Introversion is not something that is remedied by exposure. If anything, repeated forays out of comfortable seclusion only strengthen the desire to return to safety.
2 min read
Jul
29
Large Ferris Wheel - Moral Letters to Lucilius

010 - On Attending To Yourself - Moral Letters for Modern Times

There is no one with whom you more profitably spend time than yourself.
2 min read