Quod pertinaciter studes et, omnibus omissis, hoc unum agis, ut te meliorem cotidie facias, et probo et gaudeo, nec tantum hortor ut perseveres, sed etiam rogo. Illud autem te admoneo, ne eorum more qui non proficere sed conspici cupiunt facias aliqua quae in habitu tuo aut genere vitae notabilia sint. Asperum cultum et intonsum caput et neglegentiorem barbam et indictum argento odium et cubile humi positum et quicquid aliud ambitionem perversa via sequitur evita. Satis ipsum nomen pilosophiae, etiam si modeste tractetur, invidiosum est; quid si nos hominum consuetudini coeperimus excerpere? Intus omnia dissimilia sint; frons populo nostra conveniat. Non splendeat toga; ne sordeat quidem. Non habeamus argentum in quod solidi auri caelatura descenderit, sed non putemus frugalitatis indicium auro argentoque caruisse. Id agamus, ut meliorem vitam sequamur quam vulgus, non ut contrariam; alioquin quos emendari volumus fugamus a nobis et avertimus. Illud quoque efficimus, ut nihil imitari velint nostri, dum timent ne imitanda sint omnia.
Hoc primum philosophia promittit: sensum commumem, humanitatem et congregationem. A qua professione dissimilitudo nos separabit. Videamus ne ista per quae admirationem parare volumus ridicula et odiosa sint. Nempe propositum nostrum est secundum naturam vivere; hoc contra naturam est: torquere corpus suum et faciles odisse munditias et qualorem adpetere et cibis non tantum vilibus uti sed taetris et horridis. Quemadmodum desiderare delicatas res luxuriae est, ita usitatas et non magno parabiles fugere dementiae. Frugalitatem exigit philosophia, non poenam. Potest autem esse non incompta frugalitas. Hic mihi modus placet: temperetur vita inter bonos mores et publicos; suspiciant omnes vitam nostram, sed agnoscant.
"Quid ergo? eadem faciemus, quae ceteri? Nihil inter nos et illos intererit?" Plurimum. Dissimiles esse nos vulgo sciat qui inspexerit propius. Qui domum intraverit nos potius miretur quam supellectilem nostram. Magnus ille est qui fictilibus sic utitur quemadmodum argento. Nec ille minor est qui sic argento utitur quemadmodum fictilibus. Infirmi animi est pati non posse divitias.
Sed huius quoque diei lucellum tecum communicem, apud Hecatonem nostrum inveni cupiditatum finem etiam ad timoris remedia proficere. "Desines," inquit, "timere, si sperare desieris." Dices: "Quomodo ista tam diversa pariter eunt?" Ita est, mi Lucili: cum videantur dissidere, coniuncta sunt. Quemadmodum eadem catena et custodiam et militem copulat, sic ista quae tam dissimilia sunt pariter incedunt: spem metus sequitur. Nec miror ista sic ire; utrumque pendentis animi est, utrumque futuri exspectatione solliciti. Maxima autem utriusque causa est quod non ad praesentia aptamur, sed cogitationes in longinqua praemittimus. Itaque providentia, maximum bonum condicionis humanae, in malum versa est. Ferae pericula quae vident fugiunt; cum effugere, securae sunt; nos et venturo torquemur et praeterito. Multa bona nostra nobis nocent; timoris enim tormentum memoria reducit, providentia anticipat. Nemo tantum praesentibus miser est. VALE.
SENECA GIVES GREETING TO HIS LUCILIUS:
I esteem and praise that you stubbornly study and do this one thing to the exclusion of all else, so that you may make yourself better daily, and I do not only encourage you to persevere, but also ask a question. However, I warn you about this, not by the custom of those who want to not help but to be observed, to somethings which would be remarkable in your clothing or life. Shun rough clothes and uncut hair and neglected beard and a declared hatred for money and a bed position on the floor and whatever else follows ambition on an evil road.
. . .
Philosophy promises this first: common feeling, human nature and community. From this profession difference will separate us. Let us see that these things through which we wish to draw admiration are ridiculous and hateful. No doubt our intention is to live according to nature; this is against nature: to distort one's body and to hate cleanliness requiring no special effort and to seek filthiness and to use not only plain food, but foul and rough food. Just as to desire delicacies is a thing of luxury, so too is to avoid common things and things easily obtained not at a great price a mark of dementia. Philosophy calls for frugality, not punishment. However, it is possible that frugality is not inelegant. This way of life is pleasing to me: let life be regulated between good morals and public morals; let everyone not only observe our life, but also understand it.
"What then? Will we do the same things which others do? Will nothing be different between us and those people?" Very much. Let he who has looked more closely know that we are different from the mob. Let him who has entered our house wonder at us more than at our furniture. Great is he who uses his earthenware just as silver. He is no less who uses silver just as earthenware. It is not allowed for he of a week mind to posses riches.
Be that as it may, so that I share the small gain of the day with you, in the writings of our Hecato I found that the end of desires also progresses to the end of fear. "You will cease to fear," he said, "if you will have ceased to hope." You will say, "How do these things so different go together?" So it is, my Lucilius: although they seem different, they are joined. Just as the same chain joins both the prisoner and the guard, thus those which are so dissimilar advance together: fear follows hope. I do not wonder that those things go thus; one is of hanging mind, the other is of a worried mind due to expectation of the future. Moreover, the greatest cause of each is because we are not adapted to the present, but we send thoughts into far-off areas. Therefore forethought, the greatest good of the human condition, is turned into an evil. Wild beasts flee the dangers which they see; when they flee, they are secure; we are tormented by both that which is to come and that which has gone by. Our many good things bring harm to us; for the memory of fear brings back torment, forethought anticipates it. No one is so miserable because of current circumstances. GOODBYE.
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