Welcome back to our exploration of Seneca. He continues to lead us toward the truth of how to find lasting happiness, and he's doubling down on his assertions regarding the "herd". He says, "When you are considering a happy life, you cannot answer me as though after a division of the House (in politics), "This view has the most supporters;" because for that very reason it is the worse of the two: matters do not stand so well with mankind that the majority should prefer the better course: the more people do a thing the worse it is likely to be. Let us therefore inquire, not what is most commonly done, but what is best for us to do, and what will establish us in the possession of undying happiness, not what is approved of by the vulgar, the worst possible exponents of truth."
You might remember a scene in the Men in Black movie when Tommy Lee Jones is talking to Will Smith and says that a person is smart, but people are dumb. That's what we get from Seneca here, as well. He, Seneca, is one person who is stopping to think about this, and will lead us intelligently to the truth of where we can find lasting happiness. We will absolutely NOT find it by taking a vote. Democracy will not tell you where to find happiness. And that's a bit of a shock to our American ears, isn't it? I mean, we believe that "the pursuit of happiness" is a God given right that all Americans have been given. And we also believe that democracy is a very good way to govern a people. But Seneca says not so. A democratic vote, he says, will ALWAYS lead you to the wrong answer - and away from true happiness.
See you next time!
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