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
21
River in front of a hillside with a white horse carved into hill - Moral Letters to Lucilius

069 - On Abiding In One Place - Moral Letters for Modern Times

Progress is inversely proportional to the breadth of your focus. Include in your scope many things, and you will make little progress. Focus on one thing, and you will advance it the most.
4 min read
Feb
17
Trail with hikers walking alongside a river - Moral Letters to Lucilius

068 - On Private And Public Service - Moral Letters for Modern Times

The greatest good is done by those with the least need to talk about it. The true meaning of public service is not those offices that are most visible, but those deeds that have the greatest impact.
5 min read
Feb
14
Ariel view of sandy beach and chalk cliffs by the seaside - Moral Letters to Lucilius

067 - On Endurance - Moral Letters for Modern Times

The state of mind is the key, your intentions are everything. Virtue lies not in hard circumstances themselves, but in being able to endure hardships without upset or complaint.
2 min read
Feb
10
View of chalky cliffs by the sea - Moral Letters to Lucilius

066 - On Stoic Virtues - Moral Letters for Modern Times

Today I want to talk with you about the Stoic virtues, and how to value the pursuits that people seek. This is not only not a trivial question, it is the only question that matters.
5 min read
Feb
07
Steep chalky cliff before a lighthouse in the water - Moral Letters to Lucilius

065 - On Fundamental Rules - Moral Letters for Modern Times

Any person alive today may yield up answers to the questions that have propelled humankind’s search for meaning and for reason. Although Heisenberg tells us in some realms we must be satisfied with uncertainty, I am sure that humans will never stop searching for meaning.
5 min read
Feb
03
Trail with hikers walking alongside grassy fields - Moral Letters to Lucilius

064 - On Philosophers, New And Old - Moral Letters for Modern Times

Such is the bounty of philosophy: though all are capable of being fed with what is already on offer, still we are ever creating new dishes to suit the palette of modern tastes.
3 min read
Jan
31
A seaside pier with a gold-domed white pavilion - Moral Letters to Lucilius

063 - On The Proper Measure Of Grief - Moral Letters for Modern Times

If you would treasure your times with true friends, you will every now and then permit yourself to imagine life without them. Not to make yourself sad by hastening or even bringing about the loss, but to remind yourself never to assume too much.
4 min read
Jan
27
Mountain view with a cable car in the foreground - Moral Letters to Lucilius

062 - On Good Examples - Moral Letters for Modern Times

The best way to become wealthy is to become rich in your mind. Plunder the wisdom of the ages and take into your ownership your self-possession.
1 min read
Jan
24
Mountain view with three mountain bikes in the foreground - Moral Letters to Lucilius

061 - On Living A Full Life - Moral Letters For Modern Times

We tell ourselves we’ll be happy if only we can achieve something else. But this treadmill only speeds up the faster we run.
2 min read
Jan
20
Mountain view with a paraglider taking off in the foreground - Moral Letters to Lucilius

060 - On Dangerous Goals - Moral Letters for Modern Times

How many unhappy professionals do we know who, upon reaching the pinnacle of supposed success, are plagued by doubts about whether the sacrifices were worth the prize?
2 min read