In a series of articles, we were able to describe the indisputable fact that the work of Lucius Aeneas Seneca “Moral Letters to Lucilius” is a unique literary work. Thanks to it, we could reach the human personality, the most remote corners of it, and be able to touch its unadulterated essence. We paid attention to important aspects that serve to enrich and upgrade the personality – time as our most valuable resource, progress as part of personal development, virtue, perception of positivism, the restlessness of the human soul, and achieving peacefulness, and happiness as our original right and supreme goal.
With the following lines, we aim to synthesize the most important things that each of us should take for ourselves from the considered letters. The most valuable lessons and inspiration we can find when we get acquainted with the entire work of Seneca, but this is a separate topic for another article.
The most important thing we need to take for ourselves from letter 1 one is that human life is a palette of emotions, experiences, growth, and self-realization. Time is that endless cycle that is part of our existence. We have it, but what we do with it is a matter of personal choice. Whether we spend more of it on accumulating knowledge, on our loved ones, or on entertainment, depends solely on our own priorities. It is important not to postpone for the future what needs to be done now, because it may never come.
The main purpose of letter number 32 is to show us that the idea of progress first and foremost to look into yourself, to peek into the depths of your subconscious. Truths about ourselves are hidden in the subconscious. By transferring control from the subconscious to the conscious, we understand what and who our personality really is.
Knowing what impulses move you, who you are and whether you live according to the true longings of your soul is the first step to personal development. Only when we have the answer to the question “Who am I?” we can try to change those elements of our personality, that hinder us on the path we have chosen to follow.
By letter 37 we showed that in the world we live in it is very difficult to do the right thing in every situation. To be good and to act guided by wisdom and virtue requires control and spiritual strength. But if you want to have control and balance in every situation, you must first begin to discover them in yourself. Follow your mind, follow your heart – they will always help you make the right decisions. Be in harmony with love and kindness and give yourself to them.
Letter 59 helped us illustrate the meaning of the pleasures and joys of life. We discovered why it is important to be positive, happy, and full of positive energy, because the key to our true success and freedom, spiritual and physical, is truly experiencing the joy of life. There are so many reasons to be happy, to feel the joy of this adventure called life. We just have to look around for them. Bring virtue with you. Enjoy the really small things. Allow yourself to be free. This way you will be truly happy and experience the joy of life.
By letter 69, we set in motion the process of realizing that we are dependent on our fears, but they are also dependent on us, simply because they are an integral part of our being.
Achieving true peace of mind is possible only when we conquer the feeling of constant dissatisfaction that we initially carry within us. We need to get off at least for a moment from the high-speed train of demand and enjoy the aroma of roses.
In letter 92, Seneca compares happiness and virtue as two interrelated elements, each of which cannot exist without the other. The thoughts that are in your head; the actions you take in the various circumstances that life confronts you with; the honesty you show and everything else that can be summed up in the word – virtue – are the most important and only those who have them will be happy. He who possesses virtue deep in his soul cannot be unhappy. Happiness is hidden in our attitudes towards everything in the world around us.
The lessons that Moral Letters to Lucilius could teach us are placed between the covers of this work. We are only required to dare to turn the front pages and have the desire and patience to reach the last. Certainly, the “path” we will take between them will not be short, but it is guaranteed that it will be worth it because we will reach a new knowledge – that for ourselves. We will also be given the necessary “tools” and techniques on how to upgrade our personality and start the journey of our self-development.
