How to be happy – Seneca’s Wisdom

I have always been fascinated by the concept of “Happiness”. Plenty of articles and books published, many movies produced and lot of songs written on this very important human feeling. Happiness is subjective, but everyone truly desires to be “happy”. People are always in a pursuit of happiness. This reminds me of the amazing movie “The pursuit of happiness” starring Will Smith. To Chris Gardner, the main character in this movie, happiness meant providing basic comforts of life, shelter & food to his family. The Happy song by Phil Williams picturizes happiness in an unique way, I enjoy the lyrics of this song very much, and it really makes me happy. I then came across this wonderful video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyp47z_wiRQ&t=151s; this is about Seneca’s thoughts on How to be happy! Having recently being introduced to Stoicism, this video gave me a deeper insight into the brilliant concepts it represents.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca (c. 1 BCE – CE 65) was a major stoic philosopher from ancient Rome. He wrote in Latin and made a lasting contribution to Stoicism. Based on his philosophical teachings, the video derives 10 ways to strive towards happiness.

• Live with Arete: Seneca teaches us “A good character is the only guarantee of everlasting, carefree happiness” . One of the main concepts of Stoicism is to strive towards Eudaimonia – To live a happy and smoothly flowing life. As the video explains – Be on good terms with our inner daimon, the highest version of ourselves, our natural inborn potential. One of the proverbs I always loved is “You are you when nobody is around“. With the urge to impress/please others, we become a different self when surrounded by others. The real character shows up only when nobody is around, in its truest form. We have to take charge of this character and ensure it is good & generally happy. People with high levels of happiness and wealth are known to keep an inner score card, using which they judge themselves, without bothering much about getting judged by others.
• Accept Whatever Happens: Seneca teaches us “We are more often frightened than hurt; And we suffer more in imagination than in reality“. Very powerful words indeed. Fear does cause impulsive reactions, and we need to take care of this emotion well. We have a mind that keeps chatting and building up stories on what ifs; Lot of things happen in our imagination, and we have our own translations for whatever just happened. The same story gets played on a repeat mode, disturbing the peace of mind. According to Seneca, we suffer more in this virtual realm, and this suffering can be eliminated if we just accept what happened.
• Take Responsibility: Seneca teaches us “The wise man looks to the purpose of all actions, not their consequences; Beginnings are in our power but fortune judges the outcome and I do not grant her a verdict upon me“. Taking responsibility of one’s actions, after ensuring that it’s inline with one’s purpose and not worrying too much the consequences would surely be an important factor on the overall wellness. This goes in line with what is written in Bhagawad Gita: “Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana” which literally means “You have the right to work only but never to its fruits”. Let not the fruits of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction.
• Be Mindful of your Anger: Seneca teaches us “We shouldn’t control anger, but destroy it entirely – For what control is there for a thing that’s fundamentally wicked?” We have always been fed that anger is good if used in the right sense, so this statement literally took me aback. Its amazing how well thought this is and probably the best way to ensure happiness. Seneca terms anger as “Temporary Madness and a poor guide to happiness“. Anger is one emotion that nurtures resentment, hatred & a whole buffet of negative emotions, so destroying this emotion will surely do us good in the long term health and happiness.
• Know where you are going: Seneca teaches us “If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable“. After a significant period of unplanned life, a cruise mode of sorts, where the life dictates terms to us rather than us taking charge, we end up frustrated with realization that we haven’t progressed much in life, be it in terms of career, health, wealth and relationships. Unless we plan where we want to be in a few years’ time, and work towards it, we will end up unhappy. So, it then becomes important to really know what we want from life, and where we are going. Having a sense of direction is very important for our general happiness.
• Don’t Follow the Crowd: Seneca says “You ask to me to say what is particularly important to avoid. My answer is this: A mass crowd. It is something you cannot entrust yourself yet without risk“. According to Seneca “If one wants to live a happy life, then he should limit his association with the crowd“. Being a “tribal” animal, we humans tend to stick with populistic opinion, afraid of getting out-casted, we live by the societal rules and regulations, even though its not in line with our definition of life. Seneca teaches us not to follow the crowd, not do something just because its the norm & accepted by the society. As an example, unless really interested, don’t follow a career option just because a sizeable crowd is on that path, aptly shown in the Hindi Movie “3 Idiots“. Life is full of possibilities, explore all options.
• Admit money into your home, not your heart: Seneca says “Wealth is the slave of a wise man. The master of a fool“. I loved this statement very much. As the popular statement goes “People who say money cant buy happiness just don’t know where to shop”, money is very important. Its foolhardy to say we don’t need money, but we need to manage it rightly, it shouldn’t impact other aspects like health and relationships. We need to pursue financial literacy and ensure we are in the right track to generate wealth. Do your best and let it compound, but don’t take it close to your heart, don’t make wealth creation the main purpose & a show stopper for one’s life.
• Cherish the Present: According to Seneca “Every day as it comes should be welcomed and reduced forthwith into our own possession as if it were the finest day imaginable“. Probably we all know this, just that we don’t practice it enough. As Oogwe the tortoise tells in the movie Kungfu Panda “Yesterday is a history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, that is why its called a present“. As I mentioned in the other article about Spending Quality time with family, its important that we are 100% present wherever we are. Letting our mind wander around surely dampens the ongoing experience and thus the fulfillment, leading to unhappiness. Live the now to the fullest.
• Give without expectations: Seneca says “Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness“. The joy of seeing the joy in others when you help them is priceless. Giving away need not be just money or goods, it could be your time & efforts, valuable suggestions and motivation, or even giving away that small “victory”. The other day while I was driving on a narrow road, there was a huge cow on the right side of the road. There was a public bus coming in opposite direction, and the driver wanted to move ahead (occupy my side of the road) to overtake the cow. I just stopped my car and let the bus driver pass, the thankful smile on his face instantly made me happy. At that moment, I realized kindness can be showed even in such minor acts, I hope I can do more of this going forward.
• Always be Youthful: Seneca tells us to “Hang on to your youthful enthusiasms – You’ll be able to use them better when you’re older“. People who feel young tend to have 3 things in common: 1) Keeping your mind agile 2)Keeping your body active 3) Staying socially active. To keep your mind agile, you can read books, play music, play board/card games, even video games. To keep your body active, just add movements to your body, pick your choice. To be socially active, spend lots of time with your friends and family (Be wary of people who are negative in nature). The video ends with a fantastic piece of advise to be happy: If you have a friend or family member who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with them. Laughing makes you feel alive. So laugh with your heart, with your mind, and laugh with your soul“. Don’t worry, be happy 🙂