Seneca, On Peace of Mind 3.4

“Confinement in dens restrains the springs of lions and wild creatures, but this does not apply to human beings, who often effect the most important works in retirement.

“Let a man, however, withdraw himself only in such a fashion that wherever he spends his leisure his wish may still be to benefit individual men and mankind alike, both with his intellect, his voice, and his advice.”

An animal is ruled by its instincts, so to hinder its impulses is to hinder its nature. A cat in a box will not be a happy cat. A dog kept away from other dogs will not be a happy dog. A bird unable to fly will not be a happy bird. People will sometimes wonder why a wild beast removed from its habitat or from its own kind will become so restless, or morose, or aggressive, yet they must only observe that by changing where it is, they have changed how it is.

A man also has instincts, and they act upon him with great force, though he also has something more. He has his own judgment, and by this he can rule over his circumstances, not be ruled by them. He can live well wherever he is, whatever he may have, whether he is in a crowd or completely alone. If he chooses, of course, to surrender only to his instincts, he may be consumed by feeling homesick, or bored, or lonely, but if he chooses with his understanding, he will improve himself, regardless of his environment.

Sometimes it is right and proper for a man to be alone, to turn his attention to what is within. By retiring from the world around him, this can allow him to build his peace of mind and his mastery over himself. By removing diversions, he then sees himself stripped of all attachments, to define himself by himself. Put a madman in a box, and he will only become madder; put a wise man in a box, and he will only become wiser.

Nevertheless, even as he may find the need to do this, his reason must always remind him that though he makes himself, he is not made only for himself. Even if it brings him no fortune or fame, his very mind allows him to know that he shares a common nature with others, and that his own good is completely tied to the good of others. An awareness of self involves recognition of that same self as present in all his fellows; his virtue is expressed in knowing and loving his neighbors.

Even if he is separated from others, he is never fully alone, because everything he thinks, and does, and says is still ordered toward a service to all of humanity. A good man reaches out, even when he finds himself in complete solitude.

Serenus is torn between running toward the world and running away from the world; what he must learn is that he can work with one and the same attitude, one of character and conviction, regardless of where he finds himself. In company or in isolation, his values can remain constant.

Written in 6/2011