Stoicism for a Better Life – Weekly exercise (June 19, 2019)

Hello there,

This week for our guidance, Seneca reminds us that “things” are rarely worth what we think of them in his moral letter XLII 6:

“Therefore, with regard to the objects which we pursue, and for which we strive with great effort, we should note this truth; either there is nothing desirable in them, or the undesirable is preponderant. Some objects are superfluous; others are not worth the price we pay for them. But we do not see this clearly, and we regard things as free gifts when they really cost us very dear.”

We live in the age of consumerism and materialism. However, this worthless phenomenon is not limited to our modern age. It was a problem stretching back to the agricultural revolution, and the Romans were no exception. We instinctively want to have things and own things as it gives us a sense of competitive advantage in this game of survival. The trillion dollar marketing machine is not the reason you want to buy the latest and greatest, and own nicer things than your friends or neighbours… the marketing professionals simply know how to tap into your primitive desires to make you buy, get, and keep stuff.

All the universe asks of you is to et some food, drink some water and get 7-8 hours of rest per day. ANYTHING beyond that is our own superfluous desires to add more to our lives. Doesn’t mean it’s bad, but Seneca simply reminds us, and asks us…do you really need that too or is it making your life more complicated than it adds value? So as you walk past your possession today, ask yourself: Do I need this? Is it superfluous? What’s this actually worth? What is it costing me? Share what you identified in your life as being superfluous.

Much love and wishing you all a great week.

Anderson Silver

(Author of “Your User’s Manual” and “Vol 2: Your Duality Within”)