Seneca: effectiveness leads to happiness

I have never been impressed by individuals who preach effectiveness, productivity and efficiency for the sake of it. They devote their efforts to finding faster ways of getting from A to B, without explaining why we should want to get to B in the first place. Seneca took the opposite approach. His ideas about effectiveness are linked to the pursuit of happiness, self-reliance, and peace of mind. Seneca first speaks about the goal, and then describes the path to reach it. For the 59th Letter to Lucilius, I conclude that permanent joy is routinely felt by individuals who are able to think effectively, that is, philosophically. We should categorise such permanent joy as essential and fundamental, as a feeling that goes beyond the trivialities of daily life. Effective thinking enables us to put things in context before drawing conclusions. It prevents exaggerated emotions such as anxiety and depression, and prompts us to ponder the long and short-term consequences before deciding on a course of action. For Seneca, effectiveness requires taking a long-term view especially when everybody else is closing their eyes, avoiding questions about the day after tomorrow. Short-term thinking, in Seneca’s view, can deliver bodily pleasure, but not happiness. The search for superficial pleasures denotes ineffectiveness, argues Seneca. As examples of superficial pleasures, he speaks of gambling, overeating and exaggerated lust. He would have been horrified to learn that, nowadays, some people devote endless hours to watching television or playing video-games. Why does effectiveness lead to happiness? Because humans are naturally driven to seek progress and improve their station in life. Even wealthy individuals love to find ways to achieve better results in their investments and higher value-for-money in their purchases. According to Seneca, we can all draw immense satisfaction from becoming a better version of ourselves. I mean becoming better able to look at the world with philosophical eyes, staying cool when situations get hot, and discarding negative emotions such as anger and hatred. In today’s world, the term “effectiveness” possesses a cheap, short-term connotation, devoid of philosophical depth. People feel effective when they get things done faster or at a lower cost than yesterday, but can those victories deliver serenity and happiness? Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/seneca-effectiveness-leads-to-happiness/