Long life and short timeline: Seneca, how to live in the digital age
Desire for a long life
The human desire for a long life is a common one. Many think that life is short and that the years we spend on earth are not enough to accomplish much. We often dream that time passes more slowly or that we have more of it. However, according to Seneca, life is not short at all. He famously said ‘life is long enough and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were well invested’.
The idea that life is short is a misperception. We often waste our time on meaningless activities, which makes us feel as if life is passing us by too quickly. This is the subject of Seneca’s treatise, ‘On the Shortness of Life’, in which he argues that it is not the amount of time we have that is the problem, but rather how we choose to spend it.
In this text, Seneca divides the treatise into short chapters, in which he explores the dangerous emotions and threats to our existence, warning us against actions that waste our days. The Stoic philosopher includes various vices and virtues in his discussion, as well as useful advice, exhortations and recommendations to help us make the most of our time.
Interestingly, Seneca wrote this treatise when he was still a relatively young man and several years before his death. Despite this, the text is still considered one of his most famous works, along with “On the Happy Life.”
It is worth noting that Seneca lived in a time when life expectancy was much lower than it is today, and the fact that this concept of the non-transience of life comes from a thinker who lived in this era is a matter of great reflection. He was a Roman orator, senator and quaestor during the 1st century B.C. He was only partly devoted to philosophy and was appreciated for his moral, oratorical and scientific texts.
Seneca exhorts us
We can safely say that Seneca’s treatise ‘On the Shortness of Life’ is a short but valuable moral philosophical treatise that encourages us to rethink our beliefs about the length of our lives and make the most of the time we have by avoiding actions that waste our days. The text provides valuable information, advice and recommendations that can help us lead more fulfilling lives and make the most of the time we have.
In addition, Seneca invites us to look at life differently, not to focus only on the quantity of time we have, but rather on the quality of the time we spend. He emphasises the importance of living each moment with full awareness, not wasting time on useless things and devoting our time to the things that really matter. In other words, the quality of life does not depend on the amount of time we have, but on how we choose to use that time.
Seneca also urges us to focus on important goals and not to let daily distractions and worries distract us from our purpose. He emphasises the importance of living a purposeful life, taking a long-term view and devoting our time and energy to achieving our goals rather than distracting ourselves with superficial things.
In summary, Seneca’s treatise ‘On the Shortness of Life’ offers us a revitalising perspective on the length of life and encourages us to live more consciously and intentionally, to focus on what is truly important and not to waste the precious time we have been given. It invites us to reflect on how we are living our lives and make changes to make the most of the time we have, to realise our dreams and to leave a lasting impression.
We are faced with an important perspective on how to live our lives consciously and intentionally. The philosopher reminds us that the quality of life does not depend on the amount of time we have, but on how we choose to use that time.
Seneca and the digital age
However, in the digital age in which we live, it is easy to lose this perspective and focus on superficial and meaningless things, such as the constant use of social media.
The constant use of social media can distract us from the important things in life and make us focus on a virtual image of ourselves and our lives, which often differs greatly from reality. We share photos of our happy moments, successes and achievements, but often neglect the difficult moments and challenges of real life. In this way, we risk creating a distortion in our perception of reality and losing sight of what is really important.
Furthermore, the constant comparison with the seemingly perfect lives of our friends and acquaintances on social media can generate insecurity and dissatisfaction with our own lives and lead to a sense of insufficiency.
It is important, therefore, to always keep Seneca’s words in mind and focus on what is really important in life, dedicating our time and energy to achieving our goals rather than distracting ourselves with superficial things. It is important to use social media consciously and not be carried away by the temptation to live a virtual life at the expense of the real one. One must learn to find the right balance between the two worlds to live a full and satisfying life.
Seneca and Digital Humanism