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.
Jun
06
View of a majestic mountain from a green field with pine trees

099 - On Mourning The Dead - Moral Letters for Modern Times

There is a point beyond which showing patience and understanding no longer demonstrates compassion but rather turns into indulgence that reflects well on neither the recipient nor the giver.
4 min read
Jun
02
A walking path covered in leaves running through trees with vibrant yellow leaves

098 - On Counting On Chance - Moral Letters for Modern Times

The external world provides the canvas on which our lives play out, but we provide both color and picture.
3 min read
May
30
Rolling hills with grass, plowed fields, and a few trees and bushes

097 - On Our Rotten Times - Moral Letters for Modern Times

Just as advances and accomplishments belong to an age in history, so too do the embarrassments that the next generation take but a few decades to clearly perceive.
4 min read
May
26
Large lake with clouds and sky perfectly mirrored in the water

096 - On Adversity - Moral Letters for Modern Times

The only misfortune you need focus on is the fact that you feel the need to resist and complain.
2 min read
May
23
A long trestle bridge crossing a wide river

095 - On Doctrines (Theory) - Moral Letters for Modern Times

The ultimate aim of living well is to understand the value behind our circumstances and to then take deliberate actions in line with reason.
4 min read
May
19
A grassy field with large, round hay bales and a lake in the background

094 - On Precepts (Sayings) - Moral Letters for Modern Times

The next best thing to having good examples by your side is to have precepts never far from mind. These are the written condensation of the best examples of people across time.
6 min read
May
16
People walking along a path bordered by trees to the side of a steep cliff

093 - On The Length Of Life - Moral Letters for Modern Times

If the ticking of the clock spurs us to a frenzy of activity it should not be to prolong our lives but to start living them meaningfully.
3 min read
May
12
View of wooded hills from a high vantage point

092 - On Life's Necessities - Moral Letters for Modern Times

It is only when you understand how little you need to be happy that you are free to enjoy what you have.
6 min read
May
09
Zurich cityscape seen from across the Limmat river

091 - On The Utility In Catastrophe - Moral Letters for Modern Times

People fall too readily into the habit of taking their lives for granted and this in turn leads them away from living their lives meaningfully and well.
4 min read
May
05
Purple colored sky in the aftermath of a sunset over a large lake

090 - On Philosophy's Dividends - Moral Letters for Modern Times

Philosophy’s domain is in guiding decisions about what we do with what we have, and how we respond to the circumstances we face.
5 min read