Disclaimer: I am not an academic. I am not a critic. I am not even a writer. I am the peanut gallery. The views I express are not to be taken as learned, exhaustive or correct. I would prefer them to be regarded as cute.
Seneca’s letter, On the Shortness of Life, the first essay in the Great Ideas paperback of the same title, could also be called, “Why Life Seems So Short.” The reason is: because most of us don’t know how to spend our time well, and end up wasting it.
Seneca divides people loosely into two sorts: “preoccupied” people who spend their time advancing themselves (mainly but not exclusively) in public circles, and “leisured” people who tend to their own needs and the enhancement of their personal lives.
“preoccupied” people = bad
“leisured” people = good
A great idea I picked up on:
The preoccupied loathe the past because their memories are unpleasant, ignore the present because they believe that time passes too slowly, and fear the future because their longed-for pleasures are too fleeting.
The leisured are able to grasp the past in their recollection, to use the present, and to anticipate the future. This gives them a long, rewarding life and prepares them well for death.
Huh? That’s not exactly what I meant to say when I started typing.
I’ll just add this: I am one of the preoccupied, but I’d rather be one of the leisured.
Next time: Seneca’s second letter: Consolation to Helvia
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