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Quick update on Seneca: I am still reading the Letters to Lucilius. I started with them because the foreword suggested to do so, and I agree with the commentator's opinion. I also have On the Shortness of Life on my Opus and read a few pages on the train tonight. The letters are far more interesting.
On the Shortness of Life is a succession of maxims and statements about how a wise man should live. The letters are a testimony and advice on actually attempting to do so. They talk about the goal, but also describe the road to get there, with its difficulties and triumphs. They give us a glimpse of Seneca as a man trying to live up to his own ideas. I actually enjoy reading them, when On the Shortness of Life strikes me as a bit pompous and condescending, although I agree with many of the ideas.
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