Seneca’s approach to mental clarity

It is easy to keep a clear mind during a sunny day, when all elements are in our favour: good health, a regular income, old friends that appreciate us, and a loving family around us. It is a different story to keep our wits when things fall apart and keep getting worse. Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) devised the perfect recipe for staying calm and focused in times of trouble. I am convinced that his recipe works because, in history, many people had practised it successfully. I regard this aspect of Seneca’s philosophy as one of the most valuable. For Seneca, the purpose of philosophy is the acquisition and practice of virtue. What did he mean exactly? In the 34th Letter to Lucilius, he defined a virtuous person as “someone who will refuse to commit evil acts under any circumstances.” Moral clarity depends on virtue, not on the memorisation of sayings from philosophers. A conscientious student can learn a large number of texts by heart, but his rote learning will not do him any good in a crisis. Seneca knew that adversity will make a person’s true moral stature visible, for better or for worse. It brings forth the best in virtuous people, and the worst in evil ones. When we are under pressure, we must make quick decisions relying on our beliefs. Seneca was referring to our deep-rooted views of what’s good and what’s evil, of the need to respect other people’s rights, and our levels of self-confidence, self-reliance, and self-development. If our beliefs are consistent and virtuous, we will make the right decisions automatically, just as Seneca had predicted. On the contrary, if our beliefs are inconsistent or unethical, we will panic in times of adversity and commit one error after another. How do we keep a clear mind in a crisis? Seneca argues that we must take action before the risks materialise. Virtuous must be acquired early in life and practised assiduously, so that they become automatic. A crisis doesn’t change individuals fundamentally, explained Seneca. It just prompts them to display their ethical values and practical skills as they are, without delays or embellishments. The 87th and 94th Letters to Lucilius enumerate some of the vices and virtues that can save or break a person during a crisis. Seneca condemns sternly the habit of making excessive expenditures or going into debt beyond what we are able to repay. Seneca considers it harmful to embrace a lifestyle that leads us to borrow sizeable amounts of money just to stay afloat. His praise goes for Cato (234-149 BC) and his frugality, recalling Cato’s habit to travel on horse, instead of a carriage, and carry his own possessions on two bags with him on the horse. I must, however, clarify that Seneca was not encouraging us to refrain from making necessary expenditures. His concept of frugality is different from blind penny-pinching. The fact that Cato had adopted a fairly modest lifestyle did not prevent him from speaking in favour of a new sewerage in Rome. When he was elected censor in 184 BC, he carried out the project with great determination despite the high cost. Seneca regards mental clarity as a consequence of ethically correct behaviour, not as a cause in itself. In order to preserve our mental sharpness in a crisis, we should keep practising the Stoic virtues day after day, in particular prudence, risk aversion and simplicity. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/senecas-approach-to-mental-clarity/