Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the real deal of philosophy and intellect, is a man's man philosopher because his wisdom is not a set of abstract theories. It is a set of practical tools forged in the fire of real-world struggle.
Weak modern philosopher: they oppressed me and I'm going to create this theory marijuana-based.
Seneca based: I lived in the Roman Empire and suffered persecution from some of the most powerful men of my time and I stay cool.
That's the difference.
Seneca argues that most people complain about life's brevity, but they fail to look at their own actions.
They squander their most valuable resource time on meaningless activities.
That's what today's letter is about, excuse me, it's Seneca's turn to speak:
It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested. But when it is wasted in heedless luxury and spent on no good activity, we are forced at last by death's final constraint to realize that it has passed away before we knew it was passing. So it is: we are not given a short life but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it… life is long if you know how to use it.
You are living as if destined to live forever; your own frailty never occurs to you; you don't notice how much time has already passed, but squander it as though you had a full and overflowing supply — though all the while that very day which you are devoting to somebody or something may be your last. You act like mortals in all that you fear, and like immortals in all that you desire.
People are delighted to accept pensions and gratuities, for which they hire out their labor or their support or their services. But nobody works out the value of time: men use it lavishly as if it cost nothing. But if death threatens these same people, you will see them praying to their doctors; if they are in fear of capital punishment, you will see them prepared to spend their all to stay alive. So inconsistent are they in their feelings.
That's it gentlemen, your time is up and you are going to die. It doesn't matter if you are young or old, rich or poor, death comes and time runs out.
This to me is practical philosophy, it's life hard at its simplest.
Questions to help you analyze yourself
Be honest, it's you and you, no one will see it, so don't be embarrassed.
Where is your time going? List the last 24 hours of your life. Did your actions align with your goals, or did they simply fill the space between waking up and going to sleep?
What would you cut from your day if you knew you had only one year left to live? Why are you not cutting those things now?
What is the most common lie you tell yourself about your time? Is it "I'll do it later," "I don't have enough time," or "It's not that important"?
Are you living your life, or are you preparing to live it? What is the one action you have been putting off that would move you from preparing to doing?
If your entire life was a book, what would the last chapter say? Will it tell a story of a man who built something of value, or a man who was always too busy to start?
Who is truly the master of your time? You, or your phone, your boss, and your endless distractions?
What are you sacrificing your time for? Is the price you are paying worth the future you are buying?