I recently started reading Seneca in the mornings. His letters and thoughts become my companion as I sip my coffee, or if it’s a Thursday, bite down into a peanut butter bagel.
As he writes in Letters II, spend time with a select few authors, and return to them often. It’s interesting how at times advice like this will catch you in a phase where you have started doing this, even though you haven’t realised. A few weeks ago I did intentionally cut down on what I was reading and who I was listening too, choosing instead to really dive into a smaller group of authors and podcasts to really get to their their works, and revisit books and episodes I’d previously read or listening to.
Seneca’s statement expands beyond what you read, as he applies it to friendships and travel too. Take the time to understand your friends, and to know the places you are in. Else, the risk is that you move from person to person, or place to place, and ultimately don’t touch upon a sense of self or place. To be everywhere is to be nowhere, he writes.
One of the reasons I was drawn to Stoic discussions and writing was their focus on practical philosophy. The application to everyday life, rather than abstract thinking. His, and others writing, contain a sense of deep thought and wisdom into how to best life our lives.
By writing, Seneca displays an ability for deep reflection, and providing advice to others. It is deep and rich, and as you read books, it gives you a glimpse into the other person’s mind. Very different to emails or tweets or comments.
And so I converse with Seneca in the mornings, sipping on my coffee, I gain more of an appreciation of the man, flaws and all, as I read. This is part of the reason why I myself write. Whilst I need to do a much better job, and have a lot if room for improvement, I am in progress. And right now, that’s enough.