Seneca’s advice on making good decisions

The best advice provided by Seneca concerns the method for making decisions. His recommendations are condensing decades of philosophical reflection, and a profound knowledge of Ancient Greek and Roman history. Seneca’s advice is straightforward: Keep going in the right direction and do not dwell on difficulties and setbacks. He had seen too many of his friends choose unhealthy, self-defeating lifestyles for the sake of fitting in society. In doing so, those friends of Seneca’s had relinquished their best opportunities to achieve serenity and happiness. The question, of course, is to identify “the right direction” that should guide our decisions. In Seneca’s case, the answer was obvious because of his strong interest in philosophy. For other people, the answers might be different. In his 56th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca points out that people tend to assign too much power to external events. He gives the example of noise and social pressure. Those factors can prove annoying, but we should not give them more weight than they deserve. Seneca points to boisterous youngsters and sportsmen, the passage of commercial and private wagons, and chatter of all kinds; a philosophical mind can acknowledge them as potential distractions, but only to reaffirm its commitment to achieving one’s essential objectives. I would generalise this point by saying that we should keep going in the right direction and let our focus keep distractions at bay. If we maintain our equanimity, we won’t be bothered by setbacks or by hostile environments. Seneca condensed his strategy as follows: “When we are at peace with ourselves, we won’t be shaken by the world’s noise, praise or reproach.” It is far more important to enjoy a peaceful mind, he argued, than living in a peaceful neighbourhood. His advice to keep going in the right direction only becomes feasible when we possess sufficient serenity and equanimity. It entails substantial amounts of focus and self-discipline. These two Stoic virtues, argued Seneca, are indispensable to serenity. Seneca expanded this piece of advice in the 81st Letter to Lucilius, where he favoured serenity and mental independence. In modern terms, I would see this point as a call for spiritual self-sufficiency.” I can only endorse Seneca’s praise for mental independence because it is a prerequisite for other virtues. I must point to Seneca’s example of the wealthy but anxious man, who cannot even fall asleep due to his preoccupations. His mind remains outwardly focused, unable to find peace, because any change in circumstances will disturb its balance. Seneca warns us against making decisions based on external factors. He was referring to the blind pursuit of wealth, fame, influence and power. Those objectives alone cannot fulfil the definition of “the right direction” and cannot provide guidance for making good decisions. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/senecas-advice-on-making-good-decisions/