De Brevitatate Vitae: An Impossible Dream or Self-Improvement for Today?

A cursory read through De Brevitate Vitae would lead the reader to think one thing: Seneca believes that to fill ones life with work is to waste it. After a series of argumenta, the letter ends by advising the addressee, Paulinus, to quit his job as praefectus annae1, to retire in tranquilliorum portem2. But while the reader may have nodded his or her head in agreement with such a proposition, in the cold light of day the reality of the world intrudes. How is it possible for everyone to retire to a life of reading and contemplation? And how could a Stoic such as Seneca advocate such lifestyle, obviously impossible to most of his audience? To retire from the world; to look calmly, interested yet uninvolved, on the stormy sea of life. Surely this is an attitude more in tune with an Epicurean? On reading the work more conscientiously, however, it becomes clear that Senecas message is more nuanced than at first glance. Rather than proposing a way of life only appropriate to a wealthy man in post-Augustan Rome, he is putting forward an argument for a balance, a moderation in ones life. In fact, he is (as he often seems to be) perhaps even more relevant today than he was in his own day. I will first look at De Brevitate Vitae itself, then at some of Senecas other writings and finally at his life and times. It should become apparent that though sometimes disguised by humour or exaggeration, and sometimes obscured by the desire to stress a particular point, Seneca maintains his position as to how we should use our time, however much we have. Seneca begins his argument by wondering that men believe that they are not given enough time by a spiteful Nature (de naturae malignitate)3. He points out that life is actually quite long but only if one uses it wisely. This
1

While not specifically stated, reference Tu quidam orbis terrarum rationes adminstras and .. . rationem .... frumenti publici at XVIII.3 are strong indicators that this was the case. (All references, unless otherwise noted, are to De Brevitate Vitae (Seneca: Moral Essays Vol II, Harvard University Press, Cambridge,1935) 2 XVIII.1 3 I.1 (Unless otherwise mentioned , all translations are mine)

allows him to get to one of his main threads, the distinction between time and life, and his amazement at the carelessness shown to a limited resource by its owners. Not only that, but as they give away what time they have, they pray for more, so that they may enjoy otium. At this point I must digress slightly, as translations of the word otium can lead to much misunderstanding of Senecas message. It is often translated simply as leisure, but to do so is overlook its many other connotations. Cassells Latin-English Dictionary begins its definition unusually by stating that otium is the opposite of negotium. That it is felt that the best way to define it is by its negative perhaps indicates the wide scope of its use. Cassells goes on to give three classes of meaning: a) b) c) idleness, leisure, ease leisure, time for anything peace, repose, quietness

Negotium is more widely defined, from a simple absence of leisure to business, occupation, employment. It can also refer to public business or the management of a household. However, Seneca uses often uses otium in a much narrower sense. He distinguishes between otium and iners negotium (lazy working)4, he contrasts the otiosi with those quorum voluptates multum negotii habent (whose pleasures are a full time job)5 and he points out that otiosa is not desidiosa occupatio (idle busyness)6. Returning to Senecas line of argument, he gives examples of those who long for otium: from the deified Caesar Augustus himself longing for a break from official duties, to Cicero, a semi-prisoner in his own villa, to Livius Drusus who died claiming he had never had a holiday. They and many others only realise the true value of time as they approach the end of life.
4 5

XII.4 XIII.1 6 XII.2

These are the occupati. Seneca uses the word not as a simple description, but as a word of censure. They are not just busy, they are completely engrossed in what they are doing to the exclusion of all else. He has great fun listing the various ludicrous ways in which his fellow Romans occupy their lives, and it would be a fair assumption that his contemporaries would have recognised many of his caricatures. We could probably identify their descendants today. Then he makes his main point: Soli omnium otiosi sunt qui sapientiae vacant, soli vivant ... (Those who have time free for philosophy7 are, of all men, the only ones at leisure)8. He who adopts the Sapientis ... vita (life of a philosopher), Solus generis humani legibus solvitur (Alone is freed from the bonds of the human race).9 The letter ends with personal advice to Paulinus: it is time to retire. Leave his burdensome responsibilities to someone else. Does he want to work until he dies? So there we have it: everyone from Caesar Augustus down is distracted from the true purpose of life, and to be free we should dedicate ourselves to a life of study and contemplation. But let us go back and examine de Brevitate Vitae in more detail. When Seneca talks about the time we have, it is waste that he is concerned about, not a lack of time devoted to philosophy. Time per luxum ac neglegentiam diffluit ... nulli bonae rei impenditur (melted away in luxury and carelessness ... expended to no good purpose)10, that is the problem. We can achieve maximarum rerum (the very greatest of things) in our lives. The many examples of both explicit and disguised waste Seneca provides do not

Sapientia can also mean knowledge of the world or practical wisdom, and this is perhaps closer to what Seneca intended than philosophy which has picked up a lot of baggag e over time. 8 XIII.1 9 XV.5 10 I.3

alter the underlying tenet: there are things we should be doing with this time. A wise man uses his time wisely. It is foolish to not do so. Yet even here he makes a distinction: there are those who speciose tamen errant (wander off in a manner that is nevertheless splendid), those who virilius peccant (sin in a more manly way). 11 To spend your time in excess is always to be frowned upon, but some things are more acceptable. Though not clear, Seneca seems to imply that some people are simply going overboard on what are actually quite reasonable objectives. This would tie in with his comments regarding Caesar Augustus and Cicero. Although it might appear that Seneca is commenting negatively on their achievements, this is not the case. (And who in the early Empire would tarnish the name of Augustus?). What Seneca is pointing out is that these men, as they approached the end of their careers, were not able to step away and relax. Neither could say he was solutus et sui iuris (unbound and able to decide for himself)12. It was not their deeds through life that were the issue, it was their inability to be masters of their own time. The demands of the state, of the public, of their own ambition, enslaved them. Even Livius Drusus, whose politics Seneca disapproved of as being mala Gracchana (evil Gracchian policies), is not denigrated for wasting his time fighting for evil, but for complaining about not having a holiday. That was the sin: not taking control of his own time. (Though Seneca does allow himself a witty line about his death being tempestiva (timely). The point is that time is precious, that it must be used, not just allowed to pass by while waiting for something to occur. Seneca goes on to argue that those who are engaged in true official duties are those who have the famous philosophers (of all schools, though Zeno leads them) as familiarissimos: as friends who are like family, as closest friends.13 But this is not to say that this is all those persons should do, just that ... nocte
11 12

VII.1 V.3 13 XIV.5

conveniri, interdiu ... possunt. (they are able ... to meet with them by day and by night) So how can we reconcile this with Senecas call to his friend to resign from public life and retire to a life of contemplation? It is because this is a letter to a friend, not an essay on philosophy. While the boundaries are often blurred, there is a distinction. Eduard Norden, the German Latin scholar who wrote on Kunstprosa, points out that the writer must determine the genus dicendi to be used, appropriate to the task. Comparatively short sentences and compact vocabulary give this letter to Paulinus a less elaborate and more intimate tone, one that suggests that it is a letter to a friend. I believe that the last few books move from the general to the specific: that they are written with Paulinus in mind. They advise him, as a friend, that is time to step down from his important duties and prepare to spend some time on himself. He urges him Nunc, dum calet sanguinis ... (Now, while the blood is hot)14, to turn his mind to other things. Adeone iuvat occupatum mori (Is it really a pleasure to keep working until you die?). It is not uncommon today for a hardworking man such as Paulinus, a man who has taken on a difficult and thankless task for years, to think he cannot abandon it, that it is his duty to continue. Nor is it uncommon for a close friend to tell such a person in a kind and sometimes indirect manner, that it is time to hand over to someone else, that it is time to retire and enjoy the remainder of his life. That should not be taken, however, to indicate that Seneca thinks everyone should do so. It is easy to seize on certain phrases and to suggest that The thesis of the De Brevitate Vitae is that the only true living consists in the pursuit of philosophy.15 But is that Senecas intent? As indicated above, I think that this interpretation is incorrect. It is more consistent with Senecas other works and with his own life to see the thesis as
14 15

XIX.2 Page X, Introduction to Seneca: Moral Essays Vol II Basore JW Harvard University Press 1935

being Time is valuable, it must be used wisely, the possible uses must be constantly judged as to worth and effectiveness and, at times, a retirement from public life is the best use to which it can be put. For example, de Otio (or the fragments we have of it) begins with an impassioned defence of retirement, the necessary implication being that it is preceded by some sort of negotium. In fact, Seneca wheels out the argument that could be used against him: How can you, a Stoic, adopt the teachings of the Epicureans?16 In typical form, Seneca turns the argument around. He agrees with Zeno, not because he follows his Stoic philosophy, but because he is right. A man may either retire early and devote his life to searching for truth or, (as would appear to be the case with Paulinus), when ... possit hoc aliquis emeritis iam stipendis, profligatae aetatis, iure optimo facere et al alios actus aninimum ... ( ... it may be possible that someone, having earned his reward, and his life nearly at an end, to turn his mind, in perfect justice, to other things ....).17 As an aside, it is interesting that Seneca uses the words emeritus and stipendis. Emeritus is commonly used as a noun for a soldier who has served his time, and stipendium is the pay of the soldier, but can also refer to the actual service. So the phrase could be seen as a reference to the retirement of a loyal soldier. Could Seneca have anticipated his fellow Stoic, Epictetus, who would later say: ...every one's life is a warfare, and that long and various. You must observe the duty of a soldier ....18 Epictetus had earlier spoken of the responsibilities of life, and that as in an army, all have duties to perform. Failure to do so will cause harm to the whole army. Perhaps it is more likely that the analogy of the moral duties of life with the assigned duties of the soldier were just too obvious to the Stoics to be ignored. In any event, to make his position clear, Seneca sets out the Epicurean and Stoic views on engaging in public affairs in a simple form. Alter otium ex
16 17

I.4 de Otio II.2 ibid 18 Book III, Chapter XVIII The Works of Epictetus: His Discourses, in Four Books, the Enchiridion, and Fragments. Epictetus. Thomas Wentworth Higginson. translator. New York. Thomas Nelson and Sons. 1890.

proposito petit, alter ex causa (One seeks leisure as part of a plan, the other for a specific purpose)19. While to the Epicureans, leisure itself is the goal; to a Stoic, it will only be worthy if is to be used in a worthy way. He continues to explain that Hoc nempe ab homine exigitur ut prosit hominibus ... (It goes without saying that it is demanded from a man that he be of benefit to other men ....)20. In fact, it is better to benefit many rather than a few. If not even a few can be helped, then it should be those nearby, and, failing the ability to assist anyone else, one should improve oneself. So a wise man will seek otium when he reasons it is the best use of his time, gauged by the amount of benefit it will provide to humanity. Seneca returns to the purpose of leisure later, where he imagines himself being asked whether he sought leisure purely for the enjoyment of contemplationem sine exitu (contemplation without end)21. Again Seneca turns the tables. Just as leisure may be sought for the wrong reasons, so might activities in public life. It is the reason for spending time that is important, and the ability to not concentrate exclusively on one thing to the exclusion of others. This is where, in my opinion, Senecas view is made plain. In keeping with standard Stoic thought, the wise man embraces also temperance, complete subjection of all the passions, and moderation in all things22. Quomodo res adpetere sine ullo virtutum amore et sine cultu ingeni ac nudas edere operas minime probabile est misceri enim ista inter se et conseri debent - sic imperfectum ac languidum bonum est in otiom sine actu proiecta virtus .. (In the same way as to strive for things without any love of virtue and without cultivating your innate qualities, and to produce bare work are the most unlikely to be worthy of approval for these things should be mixed and joined with one another - so it is a imperfect and weak good when in leisure without action, virtue is thrown out )23
19 20

de Otio III.3 Ibid III.4 21 Ibid V.6 22 Ad Officiis Bk I, XXVII Cicero. Translated W Miller.Loeb edn.Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1913 23 de Otio VI.2

In other words, otium is something that a wise man incorporates in his life, along with other activities that benefit humanity. So it is not leisure in the sense of putting ones feet up and, in that wonderful phrase. excoquendi in sole corporis cura (the habit of cooking the body in the sun).24 It is leisure time used in a productive manner. And it is not to be taken lightly, but as a measured and conscientious decision based on the state of ones life and the possibilities available. As he points out in his essay de Tranquillitate Animi, retirement from public life is not to be taken on a whim. Nec ego negaverim aliquando cedendum, sed sensim relato gradu et salvis signis, salva militari dignitate ... (Nor would I of all people deny that sometimes one must retire, but it should be a barely noticeable gradual retreat protecting the banners, with the honour of the soldier protected ....)25 The comparison of life to the military is again obvious. Though not a soldier himself, is Seneca perhaps reflecting a view that the army retains what is left of Roman Stoic principles, abandoned by the excesses of the Imperial court? But I digress again. If one needs any further evidence that Seneca does not really advocate that all wise men should immediately turn their backs on negotium and concentrate on the works of the philosophers, there is his own life. Admittedly philosophers and others (politicians? clerics?) do not always live as they preach. Had he suggested retirement as the perfect use of ones time, his detractors would have had a field day. Of course, it is possible that de Brevitate Vitae was written in the three years he spent waiting for the inevitable, when he was retired. But even then, there was the matter of his whole life as philosopher, tutor, dramatist and political operator. Would he not be criticised for not having abandoned his public life earlier? Even more likely would he not have addressed the issue himself? For example, he writes of his faults in some detail:

24 25

XIII.1 De Tranquillitate Animi IV.2

Quare ergo tu forius loqueris quam vivis? Quare et superiori verba summitis et pecuniam necessarium tibi instrumentum existimas et damno moveris et lacrimas audita coniungis aut amici morte demittis et respecis famam et malictis sermonibus tangeris? .... (Why therefore do you speak more bravely than you live? Why do you fall at the feet of a superior and why do you consider money to be essential equipment and why are you moved at a loss and why on hearing of the death of your wife or a friend do you shed tears and why do you have respect for reputation and feel pain from malicious conversation?)26 Seneca goes on for some time in a similar vein, listing what are clearly selfassessed faults, but nowhere does he ask Why do you continue in public life and not retire to contemplate the philosophers? To me it seems inconceivable that had it been his view that retirement to a life of contemplation was the ultimate aim of the wise man that he would not have included it in his ruthless analysis. De Brevitate Vitae seems clear: time is precious, it must be used wisely, the only good use of time is to be a philosopher as that is the only way to be free. As a result, Paulinus should immediately retire. But as I hope I have shown, that is not the full story. The purpose of the letter, while Seneca no doubt knew it was to be a public document, was to provide advice to Paulinus. Nobody would doubt that de Consolatione was not written to console Marcia, and similarly de Brevitate Vitae has the immediate purpose of convincing Paulinus to use his last few years more productively. Se we need not feel guilty about not adopting the same advice: it was intended for a particular person at a particular time of his life. Seneca did not suggest that it would be right for anyone else, let alone that it be essential. For us in the 21st Century, the real meaning of de Brevitate Vitae is still important. Time is precious, it must be used wisely, we must consider all that
26

De Beata Vita XVII. 1

we are capable of doing and must make rational decisions as to the best use of the time we have available. Retirement is just one option. The important thing is to decide, to be in control of your time. That is a message that applies just as powerfully today as it did 2,000 years ago.

Bibliography Budde TR (2005) Review: Seneca De Otio; De Brevitate vitae by GF Williams Noes and Queries 52.4: 513-514 Cassels Latin Dictionary Cicero. Ad Officiis Translated W Miller.Loeb edn.Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1913 Edwards, C Review: Seneca De Otio; De Brevitate vitae by GF Williams in JRS 95: 288-289 Epictetus The Works of Epictetus: His Discourses, in Four Books, the Enchiridion, and Fragments. Thomas Wentworth Higginson. translator. New York. Thomas Nelson and Sons. 1890 Griffin, MT (1962) De Brevitate Vitae Journal of Roman Studies Vol 52, Parts 1 and 2 pp 104-113 Laidlaw WA (1968) Otium Greece and Rome, Second Series, Vol 15 No1 (Apr 1968) pp 42-52 Motto, AL and Clark JR (1993) Essays on Seneca Frankfurt: Peter Lang Motto (2001) Further Essays on Seneca Frankfurt: Peter Lang Motto (2009) Additional Essays on Seneca Frankfurt: Peter Lang Oxford History of the Classical World ed Boardman J, Griffin J, Murray O Oxford University Press 1986 Seneca: Moral Essays Vol II Harvard University Press 1935 Seutonius The Twelve Caesars Penguin Classics trans Graves R, rev Rives JB 2007