We must therefore rouse ourselves to action and busy ourselves with interests that are good, as often as we are in the grasp of an uncontrollable sluggishnes.
Great generals, when they see that their men are mutinous, check them by some sort of labor or keep them busy with small forays. The much-occupied man has no time for wantonness, and it is an obvious commonplace that the evils of leisure can be shaken off by hard work.
Although people may often have thought that I sought seclusion because I was disgusted with politics and regretted my hapless and thankless position, yet, in the retreat to which apprehension and weariness have driven me, my ambition sometimes develops afresh. For it is not because my ambition was rooted out that it has abated, but because it was wearied or perhaps even put out of temper by the failure of its plans.
—from Seneca, Moral Letters 56
If I wish to rid my mind of ugly thoughts, it will do me no good to dwell upon them, or to cling to any disturbing impressions I may associate with them. At the same time, there can be no progress from merely denying or ignoring the burden, for the weight of any responsibility is bound to increase the more it is neglected.
No, in order for my thinking to improve, I must transform it into something new, into a broader perspective that reveals a deeper meaning. I used to resent it when people told me to overcome my ills by getting busy with different tasks, but I did not yet understand how the latter actually becomes a way to redeem the former. The fresh purpose is a cure for the previous stagnation.
Mere busywork won’t do the trick, as that is just another diversion, though an understanding of the good in an unfamiliar light may be just what the doctor ordered. Is an idle mind the devils workshop? Yes, if by idleness we mean futile brooding, and if the real work ought to be the growth of character.
I once worried that I was lazy, and yet I slowly found myself asking other people to give me something useful to do. Now on the outside the utility may have only involved mowing the lawn or sorting the mail, while on the inside it meant I was finding untried ways to focus my intentions.
What a relief it is to know that I can be of benefit, in however small a way! It does a little bit to brighten the world, and it does quite a lot to strengthen me.
So, a general knows why soldiers are never to be left unoccupied, and any decent teacher knows how a room full of bored children is a recipe for disaster. Before too long, even the resentful recruit or the class troublemaker are given the chance to find some satisfaction in a job well done. They must ultimately do this for themselves, but we can always give them a helping hand.
I remind myself that simply removing the temptations will not automatically extinguish my vices—something else, something more fulfilling, must step in to take their place. This is why running away from politics did not necessarily remove Seneca’s ambitions, and why running away from people did not magically rid me of my misanthropy.
If I wish to rid my mind of ugly thoughts, it will do me no good to dwell upon them, or to cling to any disturbing impressions I may associate with them. At the same time, there can be no progress from merely denying or ignoring the burden, for the weight of any responsibility is bound to increase the more it is neglected.
No, in order for my thinking to improve, I must transform it into something new, into a broader perspective that reveals a deeper meaning. I used to resent it when people told me to overcome my ills by getting busy with different tasks, but I did not yet understand how the latter actually becomes a way to redeem the former. The fresh purpose is a cure for the previous stagnation.
Mere busywork won’t do the trick, as that is just another diversion, though an understanding of the good in an unfamiliar light may be just what the doctor ordered. Is an idle mind the devils workshop? Yes, if by idleness we mean futile brooding, and if the real work ought to be the growth of character.
I once worried that I was lazy, and yet I slowly found myself asking other people to give me something useful to do. Now on the outside the utility may have only involved mowing the lawn or sorting the mail, while on the inside it meant I was finding untried ways to focus my intentions.
What a relief it is to know that I can be of benefit, in however small a way! It does a little bit to brighten the world, and it does quite a lot to strengthen me.
So, a general knows why soldiers are never to be left unoccupied, and any decent teacher knows how a room full of bored children is a recipe for disaster. Before too long, even the resentful recruit or the class troublemaker are given the chance to find some satisfaction in a job well done. They must ultimately do this for themselves, but we can always give them a helping hand.
I remind myself that simply removing the temptations will not automatically extinguish my vices—something else, something more fulfilling, must step in to take their place. This is why running away from politics did not necessarily remove Seneca’s ambitions, and why running away from people did not magically rid me of my misanthropy.
Seneca could replace the court intrigues with the joys of genuine friendship. I can learn to love better by finding a whole new range of ways to love.
—Reflection written in 5/2013
IMAGE: Pietro Santi Bartoli, Roman Soldiers at Work (1672)
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