Seneca on avoiding distractions

When we talk about avoiding #distractions , we are assuming that we have clear goals and plans to achieve them. If we keep pursuing those goals assiduously, we are on the right track, but if we get sidetracked, it is because we are getting distracted. #seneca Seneca addressed this subject in the 1st Letter to Lucilius, in which he deplores the human tendency to waste time on things of little importance. The more time we waste on distractions, the less time we will have left for fulfilling our life’s #purpose. The 1st Letter enumerates what Seneca regards as important, namely, studying #philosophy , meditating and cultivating virtue. Seneca calls readers to steer away from distractions and devote their time and energies to the above-mentioned essentials. Seneca regarded “distraction” and “waste” as synonymous; he also condemned inactivity, not as laziness, but as distraction that consumes time that we could have employed productively. Stoicism rarely uses the terms “good” and “bad” because it refrains from rigid moral formulations. It prefers to categorise bad habits as “distractions” that lead to a “disorderly lifestyle.” Like his philosophical predecessors Zeno of Citium (334-262 BC) and Cleanthes (330-230 BC), Seneca abhorred waste and disorder. He viewed them as distorting factors of the logos (reason) that rules the universe and as impediments to human #happiness . For Seneca, peace of mind constituted the key benefit from philosophy. Distractions are obstacles, he argued, that we need to remove or circumvent. If we allow distractions to eat up our time, our thoughts will become disorderly and anxious, making it impossible to achieve peace of mind. How can we avoid distractions? Seneca recommended us to study philosophy and regularly pass review to our actions. If we just keep going without thinking, chances are that we’ll get sidetracked. The best approach, Seneca said, is to devote some time daily to assess “how we’ve lived and what we’ve done.” Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/seneca-on-avoiding-distractions/