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
11
Long view of a white sand beach, with dunes in the foreground and the ocean in the background

109 - On Your Associations - Moral Letters for Modern Times

If you wish to have a better understanding of the world, spend time in the company of people who demonstrate their depth of perception and see beyond the surface of things.
4 min read
Jul
07
Sun shining over a frozen lake

108 - On A Learning Mind - Moral Letters for Modern Times

When you are told by experts what to think you may become a believer, but you will not become a thinker.
6 min read
Jul
04
Snow-covered vineyard with a small hut at the top and a line of trees

107 - On Accepting The Inevitable - Moral Letters for Modern Times

By thinking on all the things that can happen to you, you prepare yourself to deal with them appropriately.
4 min read
Jun
30
Forested green foothills with gray mountain peaks in background

106 - On Thoughts And Actions - Moral Letters for Modern Times

To the extent we feel it necessary to judge motivations in business, we are comfortable to infer motive from actions.
5 min read
Jun
27
Rolling green hills with dark green trees in front of snow-capped mountain peaks

105 - On Treading Safely - Moral Letters for Modern Times

Remember that being polite costs you nothing while being indifferent may cost you everything.
3 min read
Jun
23
A geometric row of apartment buildings with a square smokestack in the foreground

104 - On Self-Care - Moral Letters for Modern Times

There is no distance we should not travel to take a cure for what ails us. But I would have you reflect that no amount of travel will help us if we are treating the wrong illness.
3 min read
Jun
20
Red and purple-leaved bushes in front of green bushes and apartment buildings

103 - On The Greatest Threat - Moral Letters for Modern Times

You are never closer to danger than in the presence of your fellow humans.
2 min read
Jun
16
A row of snow-covered trees before a snowy field

102 - On What Survives Us - Moral Letters for Modern Times

Serving as an example is more powerful than lingering in memory.
4 min read
Jun
13
A row of heavily snow-covered pine trees

101 - On Making Plans - Moral Letters for Modern Times

The fact that you may not achieve all that you plan for is reason only to be prepared for failure, not failing to plan and refusing to try.
5 min read
Jun
09
Snow-covered rowboats at the edge of a cold, gray lake

100 - On Popular Authors - Moral Letters for Modern Times

By using your reading as a mirror into your own thoughts, you train yourself to pay attention to your mind.
4 min read