Seneca Moral essays
Seneca: In the same spirit in which we deal with boys,…
In the same spirit in which we deal with boys, the wise man deals with all those whose childhood still endures after their youth is past and their hair is grey.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Seneca’s moral essays. The reading beside it is ours.
Age does not automatically produce maturity. Adults can still throw verbal tantrums, demand constant attention, refuse responsibility, and make every inconvenience someone else’s fault. Seneca suggests meeting this behavior with the patience we would bring to a child—not with contempt, but without expecting wisdom that is not there. This is useful at work, in families, and online. If someone is committed to misunderstanding you, more arguing may not create understanding. You can set limits, state the facts, and stop feeding the performance. The point is not to excuse harmful behavior. It is to avoid becoming equally childish in response. When another person is acting from insecurity or impulse, you do not have to match their volume. Today, notice one relationship where you keep demanding a level of reason the other person is not offering. Adjust your expectations, protect your boundaries, and keep your own behavior adult.
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