Seneca Moral essays
Seneca: Let us now enquire whether anger be in…
Let us now enquire whether anger be in accordance with nature, and whether it be useful and worth entertaining in some measure. Whether it be according to nature will become evident if we consider man’s nature, than which what is more gentle while it is in its proper condition?
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Seneca’s moral essays. The reading beside it is ours.
We often defend anger as natural because it arrives quickly. But many natural impulses need guidance. Hunger is natural; overeating is not therefore wise. Fear is natural; letting fear choose every action is not safety. Seneca asks whether anger fits the best of human nature: our capacity for gentleness, cooperation, and reason. Anger can make us feel powerful, but it often reduces our field of vision until another person becomes an obstacle or enemy. The question is not whether you can avoid ever feeling it. The question is whether it makes you more effective, fair, and clear. Usually it does not. Today, when anger rises, do not ask whether you are justified in having it. Ask what it is asking you to become. If the answer is cruel, rash, or self-righteous, let reason take over. Firmness can protect what matters without the heat of hostility.
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