The Death of Marcus Aurelius

The Death of Marcus Aurelius

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Seneca, On Peace of Mind 10.8


Yet nothing sets us free from these alternations of hope and fear so well as always fixing some limit to our successes, and not allowing Fortune to choose when to stop our career, but to halt of our own accord long before we apparently need do so.

By acting thus certain desires will rouse up our spirits, and yet being confined within bounds, will not lead us to embark on vast and vague enterprises.

A regularly offered piece of advice is that “thinking big” is the key to success. As is so often the case, what that might mean will depend upon our measures of value. Is it big to have vast possessions, or is it big to have a vast soul? Is it big to seek great power over others, or is it big to seek great power over oneself?

The scale of our actions will be in proportion to the scale of what we cherish the most, and whether what we cherish is in harmony with Nature.

Many people will think that a “big” life must be broad in its scope. They wish to leave their mark in as many places as possible, wrap their arms around as much property as possible, and have their names heard as widely as possible.

It barely occurs to them that a “big” life can be defined by its depth, not by the quantity of what is out there, but by the quality of what is in here. There does not need to be so much wanting, getting, and having as there needs to be understanding, appreciating, and loving.

The further I attempt to reach out and possess, the more I will face the limits and restrictions of Fortune on my life. This will never satisfy me, because there will never be enough to fulfill my appetites, and this will always frustrate me, because things will follow their own paths, however much I try to force them to follow mine.

When this happens, it is not the world being unfair and unkind; it is Nature reminding me to mind my business, to nurture and cherish what is rightly my own.

It is far wiser, and far more supportive of peace of mind, to want very little from Fortune, to be completely satisfied with the humblest circumstances possible. I should take only what I need to build the virtues inside me, and then be glad to let the rest be.

This not laziness, or defeatism, or settling for what is second best, but rather discovering what is truly best in a place where many people won’t even bother to look.

It is a life in accord with Nature, precisely because it respects the boundaries of my own nature in relationship to the nature of other people and things. Let me commit myself to what is rightly mine to have and hold, and not seek my own happiness in anything that is extraneous to my own judgments and actions.

Less can be more, in the sense that a simplicity of circumstances encourages a greatness of character. There is never any need to feel limited by the world if I am willing to be content with a mastery of myself. 

Written in 10/2011 

IMAGE: Aelbert Cuyp, Herdsmen with Cows (c. 1645)

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