On Sunday I finished reading Seneca’s ‘On the Shortness of Life’. It’s only a slim volume and I completed it in two chunks a few days apart. I have to say that I was hoping/expecting a little more from it. My disappointment could be because I read it relatively quickly and certainly not studiously but I think the rather drawn out and prosaic writing had something to do with this too, although it has to be borne in mind that it was written about 2000 years ago so perhaps that is understandable! Actually, writing the last sentence brings to mind that it really is quite remarkable that something written so long ago can still speak to a modern reader (of course the translator and editor of the edition I was reading are not quite so ancient).
Having skipped through the book I came away with three take-away messages. First, Seneca argues that life isn’t really short and that, in fact, it is plenty long enough if used correctly. Secondly, he is particularly critical of people who allow others to control their actions through their choice of work. Finally, he makes a case that the most worthy activity that you can indulge in is to learn to philosophize. Now, I may have missed the point a bit, but to my mind the last two are not especially helpful pieces of advice, which is why, overall, I ended up a little disappointed by the apparent lack of profundity from a book that I think is generally regarded as something of a classic.eneca
Tim O'Hare 