Seneca Moral essays
Seneca: The latter of these, whenever be 282appeared in…
The latter of these, whenever be 282appeared in public, used to weep, the former to laugh: the one thought all human doings to be follies, the other thought them to be miseries. We must take a higher view of all things, and bear with them more easily: it better becomes a man to scoff at life than to lament over it.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Seneca’s moral essays. The reading beside it is ours.
There are two easy ways to respond to the absurdity of life: despair over it or become amused by it. Seneca prefers the second. Not because suffering is funny, or because other people do not matter, but because indignation is a terrible long-term residence. The delayed flight, the petty office politics, the person arguing online as if the fate of civilization hangs on a comment thread—these are real inconveniences, but they do not deserve possession of your peace. A little perspective lets us see the comedy in our own seriousness. We make plans as though we control everything, then are shocked when the world refuses to cooperate. Smile at the human condition, including your own part in it. That smile creates room to respond rather than react. Today, when something goes sideways, ask: will I add a second problem by treating this as a personal tragedy?
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