Brevity of the life

Of the brevity of the life (De Brevitate vitæ), dialog of Sénèque writes into 49 after Jesus Christ. In this work, addressed to Paulinus, father-in-law of Sénèque, this last states that to reach the happiness (which it describes in particular in On the happy life), it is necessary to devote its time to wisdom and not to lose it in sterile and useless activities.

Summary

Sénèque starts by exposing the thesis of the treaty: the life is not too short, it is we who lose it . Indeed, the life is rather long and largely granted to allow to complete more the large companies, provided that it very whole is placed advisedly and it extends far for which lays out well of it. Then Sénèque explains how we waste our time. For him, many men run after illusory and transitory pleasures, like military glory or the beauty, instead of devoting themselves to them same. The Author feels sorry for also those which are overpowered by the richness , which is slaves of their professional life. In the same way, Sénèque wonders about the priceless value of time, and considers it regrettable that this last is never really considered: One does not find anybody who wants to divide his money, but each one distributes its life to all coming and nobody will be restored your years, nobody will not go to you even , whereas one considers normal to refund an amount of money borrowed. The vain pain, stupid joy, the avid desire, flattering conversation: all that makes us waste our time, and reduce in ash the duration of our existence. The cause of this unconcern: each one saw as if it were to live for eternity, but the brittleness of the existence often only comes too late. Sénèque connects on a series of historical examples, fascinating with witness of famous characters of antiquity to support his thesis, among which one finds Auguste and Cicéron.

In the following passage, Sénèque undertakes a long description of what it calls the “occupied ones”, and in the way in which those Ci lose their life. For the Author, the occupied ones indicate as well discharged, which spends their time in the intoxication and the sexual intercourse that the miserly ones, the colériques ones, the society men who pass from banquet to banquet, the pupils or the professors who devote their time to useless studies or the businessmen slaves of their work. All are lost and turn in round. The following metaphor illustrates this fact well:

think you that it sailed much that which a violent storm has surprised at its exit of the port, pushed that and there and, in the whirlwinds contrary, made turn in circle in the same perimeter? It did not sail much, but it was much ballotté .

On the other hand, that which devotes all its time to its personal use, which organizes all its days like a whole life, does not wish nor does not fear the following day . Moreover, the greatest loss for the life, it is the adjournment; it conceals the present by promising the future .

In the part which follows ( propositio ), Sénèque explains why the life of the men occupied is extremely short because it misses leisure. While learning and as a practitioner wisdom (since it is well that “stoical idleness”), the wise one or at least the candidate with wisdom can build his life in an organized and useful way. the occupied ones cannot make use of time and are not men of leisure . Seuls is men of leisure those which are devoted to wisdom. Only they live; because not only it protect well the duration which belongs to them, but they add the totality of time to the their . The wise one adapts its time, but also the centuries spent while studying the old philosophers and while following their precepts. The various schools of philosophy are described as families, which will open their doors with the candidates with wisdom. In the absence of being able to choose his true family, there are always the choice in which one will live his life. Lastly, time cannot anything against wisdom: no age will abolish it, no age of will weaken .

Whereas occupied the flees a thing for another and cannot stop with only one desire , loses the day in waiting of the night, the night in fear of the day, the wise one is serene, and did not fear future.

Work is concluded on an exhortation with Paulinus to follow the precepts of Sénèque, and the peroration (conclusion of an oratorical development) encourages the men not to await their retirement to benefit from their life, but to benefit from it all the time by cultivating their taste from the leisures. In the same way, the retirement should not mean the stop of any activity, to practice the precepts of wisdom in particular. the desire of work survives the capacity to work .

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