Seneca,

The Stoic position of the loss of family, city, country as not an evil is often hard to grok.  It’s one which I understand intellectually, but is still experientially outside of my understanding.

I did see a comment on Reddit the other day, where someone was taking as granted (erroneously I think) that all ideas or conceptions are based on feelings.  This person’s position was that any intellectual faculty rides on the tails of an emotion.

Of course, we Stoics see Emotions as (either) judgments or the results of judgments.  It’s a non-starter for us to put it the other way ’round.

However, on the issue of family, country, etc. it seems that this horse and cart are much more difficult to flip around.

Farewell.

Part of Michel Daw’s Reading Plan of Seneca’s Letters.