No, I am above such an existence; I was born to a greater destiny than to be a mere chattel of my body, and I regard this body as nothing but a chain which manacles my freedom.
Therefore, I offer it as a sort of buffer to fortune, and shall allow no wound to penetrate through to my soul. For my body is the only part of me which can suffer injury. In this dwelling, which is exposed to peril, my soul lives free.
Never shall this flesh drive me to feel fear, or to assume any pretense that is unworthy of a good man. Never shall I lie in order to honor this petty body.
When it seems proper, I shall sever my connection with it. And at present, while we are bound together, our alliance shall nevertheless not be one of equality; the soul shall bring all quarrels before its own tribunal. To despise our bodies is sure freedom.
Therefore, I offer it as a sort of buffer to fortune, and shall allow no wound to penetrate through to my soul. For my body is the only part of me which can suffer injury. In this dwelling, which is exposed to peril, my soul lives free.
Never shall this flesh drive me to feel fear, or to assume any pretense that is unworthy of a good man. Never shall I lie in order to honor this petty body.
When it seems proper, I shall sever my connection with it. And at present, while we are bound together, our alliance shall nevertheless not be one of equality; the soul shall bring all quarrels before its own tribunal. To despise our bodies is sure freedom.
—from Seneca, Moral Letters 65
I do not subscribe to any sort of Manichean dualism, where the body is considered an evil, or the spirit and the flesh must constantly be at war. It not only fractures the unity of existence, but it is also a cheap excuse for casting blame on things, when I should really be attending to the quality of my own thoughts.
Nevertheless, I have found that almost every difficulty I have faced is accompanied by my own confusion between the superior and the inferior, by which I attach too much value to the exterior, and not enough value to the interior. I have focused on the lower aspects of my nature, at the expense of my higher powers, and still I am surprised when I find myself enslaved to my circumstances.
When I look at this particular translation, I remember to think of “despising” without any connotation of malice, but only as a recognition of how insignificant the demands of my body are in contrast to the fulfillment of my soul. Becoming indifferent to my flights of fancy is made possible by focusing on the dignity of my character.
The flesh will feel pain, sometimes so intensely that I don’t think I can bear it, and yet it is precisely my commitment to wisdom and virtue that permits me to rise above such hardships. The spirit does not have to suffer, as long as I have my priorities in order, and as long as I cherish what is divine within me. There need be no conflict when the harmony is duly honored.
Like a trusty and well-worn coat, the body is meant to take a beating from the elements, while keeping me safe and warm on the inside. I will be glad to let it be battered and torn, as long as it is in service to the health of my soul. Once I forget this, however, I will be afraid to go out in the rain or the snow, for fear that I may ruin the precious fabric.
Leaving the body in its rightful place, I possess liberty. Allowing it to boss me about will bind me in chains. It troubles me precisely because I fail to respect the proper order of causes.
I do not subscribe to any sort of Manichean dualism, where the body is considered an evil, or the spirit and the flesh must constantly be at war. It not only fractures the unity of existence, but it is also a cheap excuse for casting blame on things, when I should really be attending to the quality of my own thoughts.
Nevertheless, I have found that almost every difficulty I have faced is accompanied by my own confusion between the superior and the inferior, by which I attach too much value to the exterior, and not enough value to the interior. I have focused on the lower aspects of my nature, at the expense of my higher powers, and still I am surprised when I find myself enslaved to my circumstances.
When I look at this particular translation, I remember to think of “despising” without any connotation of malice, but only as a recognition of how insignificant the demands of my body are in contrast to the fulfillment of my soul. Becoming indifferent to my flights of fancy is made possible by focusing on the dignity of my character.
The flesh will feel pain, sometimes so intensely that I don’t think I can bear it, and yet it is precisely my commitment to wisdom and virtue that permits me to rise above such hardships. The spirit does not have to suffer, as long as I have my priorities in order, and as long as I cherish what is divine within me. There need be no conflict when the harmony is duly honored.
Like a trusty and well-worn coat, the body is meant to take a beating from the elements, while keeping me safe and warm on the inside. I will be glad to let it be battered and torn, as long as it is in service to the health of my soul. Once I forget this, however, I will be afraid to go out in the rain or the snow, for fear that I may ruin the precious fabric.
Leaving the body in its rightful place, I possess liberty. Allowing it to boss me about will bind me in chains. It troubles me precisely because I fail to respect the proper order of causes.
—Reflection written in 7/2013
IMAGE: Theodore Major, Man in a Storm (c. 1950)
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