Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Sickness doesn't kill you—being mortal does (Seneca)

“You will not die,” he tells Lucilius in a startling turn of phrase, “because you are ill, but because you are alive.” He continues: “Even when you have been restored to health, the same end awaits you; when you have convalesced, it will not be death that you have escaped—only ill-health" (Ep. 78.6). The fear and worry brought on by pain and disease are thus not, in Seneca’s view, finally about these phenomena themselves but about our natural end in the grave. See that clearly, Seneca argues, and our worry can cease" (see Ep. 24.12).—One True Life: The Stoics and Early Christians as Rival Traditions, 17

<idle musing>
Can't say as he got the diagnosis wrong, but I think he badly misjudges people's response! But, then again, probably not, because he's tutoring Lucilius on what his proper response to death should be.

Truth be told, I prefer the Christian response; it seems a good bit less fatalistic!

Just an
</idle musing>

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