O krátkosti života – Seneca Lucius Annaeus (2024)

"On the Shortness of Life" (orig. *De brevitate vitae*) is an almost two-thousand-year-old letter from Lucius Seneca addressed to a friend. Seneca, as one of the most significant representatives of Stoicism, compels us in this timeless work to reconsider how we manage our time. He shows that the quality of life does not depend on its length, but on how we use it. Seneca has always been and still is one of the most popular and most translated Roman authors. During his lifetime, he managed to be an influential speaker, a tutor to the Roman emperor, a businessman, and at one point, the richest Roman. For Seneca as a Stoic, it was crucial how to respond to and accept life circumstances that we cannot influence, while focusing on what we can influence. In a short but profound letter to his family friend Paulinus, Seneca presents eight key reasons why we often do not live as we would like. He discusses why many do not realize that time is actually their most precious resource. In the letter, he not only offers theoretical advice but also provides practical recommendations on how to avoid wasting life on trivialities and achieve true happiness and a meaningful life.