Seneca Stoic teachings
Seneca: It accords with nature to love our friends and…
It accords with nature to love our friends and rejoice at their progress as though it were our own. Without this practice, virtue itself, sustained by exercise, cannot endure within us.
A paraphrase of a teaching associated with Seneca, written for modern readers. Not a transcription of a copyrighted edition.
Another person's good news can expose an uncomfortable comparison. We may congratulate them while privately measuring our own stalled plans, missed opportunities, or lack of recognition. That reaction is human, but it does not have to direct us. A friend's success does not remove our capacity to act, learn, or find joy. More importantly, friendship is diminished when we treat people we love as rivals for a limited supply of worth. We can train a better response through participation. Today, when someone shares an achievement, offer a specific and undivided expression of support. Ask a real question about what it took. Mark the occasion without turning it back to your own story. This practice loosens envy and strengthens trust. Learning to celebrate another person's progress enlarges our own life rather than shrinking it.
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