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.
Jul
26
Skyscrapers - Moral Letters to Lucilius

009 - On Friendship And Philosophy - Moral Letters for Modern Times

You are sufficient in yourself if you do not need friends for your happiness, but you need not go so far as to not want them.
2 min read
Jul
22
Slanting rays of sun over a smooth lake with sailboats - Moral Letters to Lucilius

008 - On The Teacher’s Duty - Moral Letters for Modern Times

Just because I am alone does not mean I am wasting my hours away.
3 min read
Jul
19
Field of yellow blooming crop - Moral Letters to Lucilius

007 - On Public Opinion - Moral Letters for Modern Times

Nothing is more dangerous to your reputation than exposure to public view in the circus of social media.
3 min read
Jul
15
Mountains with scrub brush - Moral Letters to Lucilius

006 - On Sharing Wisdom - Moral Letters for Modern Times

A problem shared is a problem halved.
2 min read
Jul
12
Pastel houses with ocean in background - Moral Letters to Lucilius

005 - On The Stealth Philosopher - Moral Letters for Modern Times

Nothing turns a sharp ear deaf more quickly than the listener sensing you feel superior to them.
3 min read
Jul
07
Mediterranean coastline with white and pastel houses - Moral Letters to Lucilius

004 - On The Quest For Immortality - Moral Letters for Modern Times

What drives the quest for immortality? At its root, it is an excess of greed and fear.
3 min read
Jul
05
Mountainous coastline - Moral Letters to Lucilius

003 - On Friends, Not Followers - Moral Letters for Modern Times

A true friend will tell you when you are being a fool.
1 min read
Jun
23
Rocky coastline with mountains in background - Moral Letters to Lucilius

002 - On Consuming Social Media - Moral Letters for Modern Times

A steady diet of social media will leave you bloated but undernourished. You will grow fat with trivialities as quickly as you grow unhealthy in your thinking. In contrast, the proudest result of deep thought is a truth that you can express in few words.
2 min read
Jun
19
Coastal cliffside with lighthouse in background - Moral Letters to Lucilius

001 - On Being Busy - Moral Letters for Modern Times

Do not call yourself busy. Busyness is the fate of those who have relinquished control over their daily lives.
2 min read
Jun
15
Cloud cover viewed from above with sunlight - Moral Letters to Lucilius

000 - On Why Do Anything - Moral Letters for Modern Times

If you think that all life’s questions have been answered to your satisfaction, then you need read no further. If you believe like me, though, there are still truths worth finding, then please read on.
2 min read