Stoic Practice of Living a Tough Life
"If you would not have a man flinch when the crisis comes, train him before it comes."
I often talk about Premeditatio Malorum, the practice of contemplating the troubles and evils that might lie ahead. It is an ancient Stoic exercise of imagining things that could go wrong in the future so that we are better prepared for and less affected by them if they do happen. Because some of them will happen. I consider it one of the most valuable ideas in Stoicism, and it actually helped me to stay resilient in some of the most challenging moments of my life.
Seneca is the Stoic who wrote most extensively about this unusual practice and gave the most eloquent arguments for why we should think about the potential negative versions of our future.
However, for Seneca, just contemplating wasn’t enough. He actually advised that we make our lives at least a little bit harder once in a while so that we may not become soft or stop appreciating what we have.
I don’t want to sound like that old man who keeps talking about how today’s generation has it easy. Mostly because I’m not old, but also because I think there are psychological aspects of modern life that are more difficult that any of the physical difficulties of the old times. However, I think it’s fair to say that Seneca’s wisdom on living below your means is more relevant than it ever was, since we are living in the materially most prosperous time in history.
In a letter to his friend Lucilius, Seneca advises him to live in harsher conditions than usual so that he may "toughen his soul" and be better prepared for the actual tough times that could arrive at some point.
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