Tuesday, January 17, 2023

free to be happy


 Today Seneca says: "If we attain this [contempt of fortune], then there will dawn upon us those invaluable blessings, the repose of a mind that is at rest in a safe haven, its lofty imaginings, its great and steady delight at casting out errors and learning to know the truth, its courtesy, and its cheerfulness, in all of which we shall take delight, not regarding them as good things, but as proceeding from the proper good of man."

So he says it's vitally important that we learn to completely disregard the good and the bad that fortune sends our way. If we can do that, then we will find all of the happiness we want in life - safety, exalted imagination, STEADY delight in getting rid of mistakes in our thinking and learning the actual TRUTH about the world and life. We will learn to treat others with respect, and keep a cheerfulness all the time. We won't see these as good THINGS to be grasped at or attained, but we will see them flow OUT of us as good people.

Do you agree that disregarding the whims of fortune will produce all of this happiness? If so, you deeply agree with Seneca. If not, then you think he's in pretty serious error. What do you think?

See you tomorrow!

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