Some thoughts on Seneca

I have to thank my friend Matt for introducing me to the works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca. ( As you will hopefully see, Matt fits the true model of friend). Seneca was born in Cordoba Spain and educated in Rome. He was tutor, and eventually advisor to the emperor Nero. His biggest legacy to wisdom comes from his work as one of the "stoics"among these the Letters to his student Lucilius and his "Dialogues and Essays" , stand out. Seneca is a master of the one liner and his writings are fertile ground from which sprout many large and beautiful ideas. I do not have a major piece written up, however, he has had such an impact that at the very least I thought it necessary to share some thoughts. It must be noted before reading any of my "thoughts" that you should read Seneca for himself http://www.stoics.com/seneca_epistles_book_1.html, as well as some thoughts that Matt has posted already on his blog, http://www.kankanchadash.blogspot.com/
I apologize in advance if any of the ideas are redundant to something Matt has said, or even if they are pashtus of the letters themselves.

As you know, the chachmei hamesorah have equated anger with idolatry. Maimonides states in Deoth , that the "baalei Qa'as ain chayehem chayim"," the angry person's life is not LIFE".

Seneca on Anger:

Seneca wrote an entire work on the subject of anger. I have not reproduced it in entirety, nor have I even come close to producing a large swath of it, I have selected some simple points from book 3 of "On Anger".

" I shall now try to do what you have particularly desired, Navatus, to expel anger from the mind, or at least to rein it in and check its violence. This should be done sometimes openly and plainly,when a less serious attack of the evil permits,sometimes secretly, when it burns too fiercely and every obstacle intensifies and increases it;it depends on how much strenght and energy it has,whether we should beat it back and force its withdrawal, or should give way to it until the initial storm has spent its fury,in case it carries off with it the very means of effecting a cure"

Seneca, abhors anger.Yet he is realistic about it. He does not pretend, that anger does not occur in even the best amongst us.He recognizes from the outset that the expulsion of anger from the soul is perhaps impossible,that the goal of man in this area must be to rein it in and distance its destructive power from your life as much as possible. I think this is a very powerful, if not subtle position. There is no superhuman amongst us that does not suffer the ill effects of emotion. The goal according to Seneca would be to contain this "violence" such that it does not harm anyone or thing. This is remeniscent to me of the Rambam in deoth chapter 2 halacha 7 " ואמרו שכל הכועס--אם חכם הוא, חכמתו מסתלקת ממנו, ואם נביא הוא, נבואתו מסתלקת ממנו
"... they stated, that anyone who is angry, if he is a Chacham, ( wise) , his wisdom escapes him, if he is a prophet, his prophesy escapes him". Clearly even the most perfected humans , prophets, fall prey to this emotion. This very well might be a bigger lesson about people and levels of perfection than it is about anger itself. We do not believe in supermen. Every single human is succeptible to the destructive forces of emotions.
Further in Seneca:
"... For though the rest of the passions may be amenable to such postponement and may be cured at a slower pace,this one,with its rapid and self propelled violence,does not proceed gradually,but reaches the full scope the moment it begins; unlike other vices it does not tempt the mind but carries it off by force,and drives on those who lacking self control, desire the destruction,it may be, of everyone,spending its rage not only on the targets of its aim but on whatever happens to cross its path. The other vices drive the mind on , anger hurls it headlong."
Again, an interesting point which reminds me of the same Rambam.As Seneca notes, anger comes on as a freight train and carries the mind and self control away with it. This emotion as he notes, does not eat away at the psyche, it does not tempt the heart . Rather, like a tinderbox, there is a spark and then combustion.This could explain the old question of the comparison to idolatry.Anger is the ultimate fantasy. Anger arrives when one's conception of the good comes in conflict with reality. In other words, when what we want, think is right, or think must be, does not occur our conception of the good, our view of reality is upturned and this cataclysmic upheaval explodes in fits of rage. This is the idolatry, the Qo'es, is entirely consumed with the reality of his desire. HE controls what must be and as such when he percieves that he is NOT in control of reality he himself loses control of his mind and flies off into an emotional shooting spree.
more to follow....