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“Study Death Always”: Seneca’s advice for living centered on dying

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Re: “Study Death Always”: Seneca’s advice for living centered on dying

#31

Post by dtornabene »

tw1010 wrote: post #12

For some reason HN has been mimetically pulled into the seneca philosophy. Just so you guys know, there are many many many other philosophies and really great books about ways to look at life and how to live it than just stoicism. Don't let something as important as a life philosophy be steered by social media influencer culture. Take some time to read from sources outside your filter bubble. Your 70 year old self wi…

I was thinking about this today even before this came up! It seems a strange philosophy to adopt for individuals who "disrupt" or who can literally control their digital environments, etc. Fwiw I think people engaging with philosophy is probably a net good.

Re: “Study Death Always”: Seneca’s advice for living centered on dying

#32

Post by enkid »

fizixer wrote: post #19

If you agree with this, it makes it a lot easier to realize what the current purpose of human life is, i.e., to achieve biological longevity. (By 'current' I mean until we achieve this, it's not of much use to ponder the bigger question of why we're truly here). This mindset can be used as an alternative to existentialism in which you realize life has no purpose, and that is followed by 'you make your own purpose'. I…

Seneca would not agree. He thought how you lived was much more important than how long you lived. The stoa did not view death as a bad thing, rather as a change in state.

Re: “Study Death Always”: Seneca’s advice for living centered on dying

#33

Post by bernardino »

netc wrote: post #14
tw1010 wrote: post #12

For some reason HN has been mimetically pulled into the seneca philosophy. Just so you guys know, there are many many many other philosophies and really great books about ways to look at life and how to live it than just stoicism. Don't let something as important as a life philosophy be steered by social media influencer culture. Take some time to read from sources outside your filter bubble. Your 70 year old self wi…

Can you suggest few readings?

Lately, this has been my go-to recommendation: Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space: What You Are Before You Became by Mooji.

Re: “Study Death Always”: Seneca’s advice for living centered on dying

#34

Post by arstin »

HiroshiSan wrote: post #17
netc wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you suggest few readings?

The Bible edit: For those of you down voting me for whatever reason, can you at least contribute to the discussion and explain how my answer was a poor one? The bible is one of the greatest stories ever told containing a myriad of different ways at looking at life.

Yeah the Bible is typically overlooked these days. Even most Christians probably don't read it. And many of the type who discovered Seneca or Dogen through a self-help blog probably take pride in how intelligent and "rational" they are (for flowing along with the dominant current of our culture ha) in rejecting Christianity. But the Bible is literally just a library of different writings, the whole point of which is to give a complete picture of life, to furnish the imagination with stories and characters and lessons. Proverbs is a place to start I guess, though I'm hardly the person to ask. I remember liking the Gospel of Mark as a kid?

Re: “Study Death Always”: Seneca’s advice for living centered on dying

#35

Post by pmoriarty »

waynecochran wrote: post #27
HiroshiSan wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Bible edit: For those of you down voting me for whatever reason, can you at least contribute to the discussion and explain how my answer was a poor one? The bible is one of the greatest stories ever told containing a myriad of different ways at looking at life.

A particularly important read concerning the meaning of life is the book of Ecclesiastes. It tells of Solomon’s great experiment of finding meaning in knowledge, pleasure, wealth, accomplishment, etc.. I am often bewildered by those who pour a great deal of energy in planning for retirement and ignoring the fact that they will soon thereafter be pushing up daisies. Death awaits us all.

The Book of Job might be one that the Stoics could appreciate, as in it Job is robbed of every worldly good, his health, his friends, and his family. Though they'd probably point out that if only Job had practiced Stoicism he'd be able to meet all of these privations with indifference.

Re: “Study Death Always”: Seneca’s advice for living centered on dying

#36

Post by ianai »

HiroshiSan wrote: post #17
netc wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you suggest few readings?

The Bible edit: For those of you down voting me for whatever reason, can you at least contribute to the discussion and explain how my answer was a poor one? The bible is one of the greatest stories ever told containing a myriad of different ways at looking at life.

In the current era, I think the bible has gotten enough press. Far fewer people have read Seneca than the bible - and the bible permeates US culture. It's like telling someone learning about IT who's only ever worked with Windows to keep right on developing their Windows background. It's not awful advice, and it's not comment worthy.

Re: “Study Death Always”: Seneca’s advice for living centered on dying

#37

Post by IntronExon »

dtornabene wrote: post #31
tw1010 wrote: post #12

For some reason HN has been mimetically pulled into the seneca philosophy. Just so you guys know, there are many many many other philosophies and really great books about ways to look at life and how to live it than just stoicism. Don't let something as important as a life philosophy be steered by social media influencer culture. Take some time to read from sources outside your filter bubble. Your 70 year old self wi…

I was thinking about this today even before this came up! It seems a strange philosophy to adopt for individuals who "disrupt" or who can literally control their digital environments, etc. Fwiw I think people engaging with philosophy is probably a net good.

If you think about someone in a job they hate, ruled by managers and treated as a cog in a machine that makes money for others, it starts to make sense. If you feel helpless in the face of life, then just gritting your teeth and bearing it probably seems appealing. If what you really fear is risk and change in your employment and life, then a philosophy which teaches you to accept the inevitable may attract you.

In short, Dilbert probably reads Seneca.

Re: “Study Death Always”: Seneca’s advice for living centered on dying

#38

Post by dnlbyl »

netc wrote: post #14
tw1010 wrote: post #12

For some reason HN has been mimetically pulled into the seneca philosophy. Just so you guys know, there are many many many other philosophies and really great books about ways to look at life and how to live it than just stoicism. Don't let something as important as a life philosophy be steered by social media influencer culture. Take some time to read from sources outside your filter bubble. Your 70 year old self wi…

Can you suggest few readings?

The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain De Botton is a very approachable introduction to Socrates, Epicurus, Seneca, Montaigne, Shopenhauer, and Nietzsche and the practical takeaways from their teachings.

Re: “Study Death Always”: Seneca’s advice for living centered on dying

#39

Post by gerbilly »

spraak wrote: post #9
damontal wrote: post #7

Aurelius said that all you have is the present moment so when you die the only thing you can lose is the present moment. That one really stuck with me.

But you don't lose the moment... you go into a new body. (Anticipating down votes for this, though)

Your comment reminds me of this Zen story:

The Emperor asked Master Gudo, "What happens to a man of enlightenment after death?"

"How should I know?" replied Gudo.

"Because you are a master," answered the Emperor.

"Yes sir," said Gudo, "but not a dead one."

Re: “Study Death Always”: Seneca’s advice for living centered on dying

#40

Post by damontal »

pmoriarty wrote: post #35
waynecochran wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A particularly important read concerning the meaning of life is the book of Ecclesiastes. It tells of Solomon’s great experiment of finding meaning in knowledge, pleasure, wealth, accomplishment, etc.. I am often bewildered by those who pour a great deal of energy in planning for retirement and ignoring the fact that they will soon thereafter be pushing up daisies. Death awaits us all.

The Book of Job might be one that the Stoics could appreciate, as in it Job is robbed of every worldly good, his health, his friends, and his family. Though they'd probably point out that if only Job had practiced Stoicism he'd be able to meet all of these privations with indifference.

If you like Job you should seek out the play J.B. by Archibald MacLeish. His take on the story is that Job in the end forgives God, making him superior in some way to the God he loves so much, which is a view of the story you don't often hear.
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