Meditation
…………….in a time of empire collapse.
“What need is there to weep over parts of life? The whole of it calls for tears.”
—-Seneca
We get weepy and furious
because our plans have failed
and we strongly expected them not to.
The task of philosophy is to disappoint us gently
before life has a chance to do so violently.
The less we expect, the less we will suffer.
Consoling pessimism…….
We strive to turn our rage and our tears
into a far less volatile compound:
sadness.
Seneca spares us the kind of hope that,
when it fails,
inspires bitterness
and intemperate shouting.
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