While reading The Shortness of Life by Seneca, I recalled the somewhat overused Mark Twain quote, “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often it rhymes.” The same issues that plagued people back in 49AD continue into this day.
Seneca the Younger was a stoic philosopher during the height of the Roman Empire. He made his living tutoring and teaching emperors how to live a fulfilled life while also ruling such a vast kingdom. He recorded his thoughts on how people from emperors to peasants face similar problems. Including the same problems that seem to proliferate society to this day.
The overarching theme is that people unconsciously waste time pursuing endeavors that ultimately will not make them happy, then complain they never have enough time or that life is too short. Seneca advises that by knowing the life you want, you can pursue a worthwhile life. Doing so gives you enough time to live a truly fulfilled life.
Below is Seneca’s ancient advice on how to live a fulfilled life.
1. Watch how you spend your time and Work Towards What You Want
“The problem, Paulinus, is not that we have a short life, but that we waste time…But when time is squandered in the pursuit of pleasure or in vain idleness when it is spent with no real purpose, the finality of death fast approaches and it is only then when we are forced to, that we, at last, take a good hard look at how we have spent our life–just as we become aware that it is ending.”
Seneca
People never really stop to think about what they are doing. We move from career step to career step, life step to life step, and we never look around. Then when we do, we realize life has passed us by. Taking the time to stop and acknowledging our time is finite on earth, we understand we must devote ourselves to causes that we believe in, work we find meaningful, and relationships that bring meaning to our lives. If not, we will flitter it away by being pre-occupied with things that do not matter to us.
2. Know what you are going after and why you are pursuing it
“Something new always comes along to keep the occupied busy. Hope begets more hope, ambition more ambition. Instead of finding a new purpose, the busy just change the nature of whatever it is that preoccupies them. Admittedly, social obligations can be tiring. Society is a drain. As soon as we have some success, we seek more. A prosecutor with problems turns his eyes to becoming a judge, a bigger, new position that comes with newer, bigger problems.”
Seneca
It is easy for people to want more, especially ambitious people who are aiming to build a better life for themselves. The people above that Seneca is describing didn’t do the work of asking themselves what they wanted out of life. So, they strived and chased the next thing. More prestigious positions, more wealth, and more social status. There is nothing wrong with wanting more and working to attain it, but it begs the question, why do you want this position, and do you know what this life entails? These people just wanted the prestige and are miserable when they have it. Ask yourself what you want to and what you want your life’s work to be to avoid the urge to chase the next thing.
3. Practice Living in the Present
“We all rush through life torn between a desire for the future and a weariness of the present. But he who devotes his time to his own needs, who plans out every day as if it were his last, neither longs for nor fears for tomorrow.”
Seneca
The future is wrought with uncertainty; we never know what tomorrow will bring. People occupy their time worrying in the present about preparing for the future. Part of this should be taken with a grain of salt, we can’t live every day like it was our last in reality, we would never be prepared for the future, and over-indulgence in the present by procrastinating can ruin the future we are trying to build towards.
However, that doesn’t mean we cannot build in time to be grateful for what we have and to treat ourselves to a little joy each day. Everything in moderation. If we put off enjoying life or being grateful for the future, that future may never come. Build in the joy today. Take a walk outside, start journaling one thing you are grateful for each day, enjoy the occasional sweet treat. Life is a marathon, take time for yourself each day to live and be content.
4. Use Your Time Wisely
“Those nobs who rush about honoring social obligations, who never give themselves or anyone else a break, when they have fully indulged their insanity when they have met with every contact they have, and have left no acquaintance unseen when they have rapped on every neighbor’s door–in a city as large and varied of ours, how many people will they have really seen and made a connection with?”
Seneca
“Kings have cried at the thought of their rule coming to an end and rather than be made happy by the immensity of their power, all they do is fear the time when it will dwindle.”
Seneca
Fretting over the future leads to not enjoying the present moment. The people who rush to see every contact, do not connect with anyone. How much better would their day have been if they went and saw just two people that day? Both parties would feel more connected, fulfilled, and satisfied.
The king, instead of enjoying his power and the good he could do with it today, squanders his opportunity by thinking of how it could dwindle with time. Even if it does dwindle, by doing good and helping others before that time is over, the King will enjoy each day more, as will his subjects. If both these people made time to live in the present, they would be happier, others would be happier, and their work would have a lasting impact because they are taking the time to build those relationships and do the best they can today.
Main Take-Aways
People have wasted their time doing things they would rather not be doing for centuries; society was the same in 49AD as it is today. We all have obligations we must attend to, school, work, family, relationships, and building a better life. However, many people go through life without thinking about how they are spending their time. By focusing on how we spend our time currently, how we want to be spending our time, doing our best to enjoy each day, and living in the present, we can start to build the life we want to live. We can begin to devote ourselves to what we want to be doing, instead of unconsciously being busy for the sake of being busy.
Action item
What can you do today to build in more time for yourself? What are you spending a lot of time on, and where would you rather be focusing that effort?
