On the Shortness of Life Buchzusammenfassung - das Wichtigste aus On the Shortness of Life

Einleitung anhören

00:00

Zusammenfassung von On the Shortness of Life

Name: On the Shortness of Life
Rating: 4.5 (381 reviews)
Author: Seneca

Seneca

Life Is Long If You Know How To Use It

4.5 (381 Bewertungen)

12 Min.

Themen

Inspiration Zufriedenheit

Inhaltsübersicht

On the Shortness of Life
in 5 Kernaussagen verstehen

Audio & Text in der Blinkist App

Kernaussage 1 von 5

What’s in it for me? Cope with the shortness of life like a Stoic.

Have you ever had the feeling that life is passing you by? Or that, despite your best intentions, you’re wasting your time? Well, you’re not alone. In fact, a man named Seneca the Younger, who died almost two thousand years ago, had the same feeling. But he wrote down his ideas on how to combat that feeling and how to make sure one does something useful with one’s life.

A tutor to Nero, the infamous Roman emperor who – according to legend – played violin while Rome burned to the ground, Seneca was one of his age's most prominent thinkers and playwrights. Adhering to the Stoic tradition of accepting one’s place in the world, many of his thoughts ring as true today as they did back then. Indeed, the questions that plagued the Stoics continue to trouble us today. And many of the answers they offered still make good sense.

In these blinks, you’ll find out

that reading will give your life more meaning;
how we can find pleasure without pursuing it; and
why you shouldn’t plan an ornate funeral.

Life is short if you waste it on trivialities.

People have always been good at wasting time. Most people spend the majority of their time engaged in trivial activities – even if these activities don’t seem trivial to them.

But the thing about trivial activities is that they make life seem short. For instance, life will seem especially short if you only pursue status or power. You’ll always have your eye on some future goal and won’t be able to enjoy your current situation.

People tend to think that, once they’ve achieved all their goals, they’ll have time to enjoy life. But it rarely works out this way. What usually happens is this: people spend their life preparing for life.

The Emperor Augustus is a case in point. He spoke endlessly of quietude, of the calm and rest he’d enjoy upon retirement from his public duties. But this longed-for day never came. The Roman Empire depended on him, and he could never pull himself away.

Life will also seem short to those who pursue a life of luxury. These people can't even enjoy their indulgences. They’ll always be thinking of how their current thrill will soon end, or where their next one will come from.

But worst of all are those who seek glory after death. These people get wrapped up in planning for a posterity that’s not even theirs. They'll be thinking of that pithy remark in their obituary. Or they’ll draw up plans for giant tombs. But funerals ought to be simple symbolic affairs. In fact, there is nothing more suitable than a single burning candle, an apt symbol for the shortness of human life.

Busyness doesn’t equal fulfillment.

Say a ship left port and spent the next year being thrown about by a mighty storm. It would be inaccurate to claim that, during this time, it had steered a successful and purposeful course, even if it did make it safely back to harbor. Well, the same can be said of life.

Pitching, rolling and yawing aren’t substitutes for living. Of course, it’s important to plot a course and then stick to it, but it’s also worth remembering that not every path should be pursued.

You can choose to be educated by the world’s greatest minds.

While you have little power to change who raised you or who you were raised with, the fact remains that you can forge your own path in education and self-improvement.

It’s astonishingly easy to acquire wisdom from great thinkers and, in time, to train yourself to be a better person. You can, for example, engage with the works of Plato or Hegel, Derrida or Arendt, and come to a better understanding of people, power, society and culture.

True satisfaction springs from within.

In life, we often experience ephemeral sensations that may temporarily perk us up, but they are not within our control, and the pleasure they engender often vanishes as quickly as it appears.

A wise person is self-reliant and independent. The loss of status or money is no real setback to him, since his sense of self is not founded on external circumstances.

To ensure a tranquil mind, tailor your career to your personality and don’t forget to enjoy yourself!

There is no point whatsoever in having what appears to be an enviable life when you’re actually fractured inside. A life filled with doubts and regrets is no life at all. So what should you do?

The first thing to realize is that there is no one path that will ensure tranquility. We must each forge our own. For instance, some people are more suited to a life of study and reflection. Others might need sustained physical exertion to be contented.

Du möchtest die gesamte Zusammenfassung von On the Shortness of Life sehen?

Kernaussagen in On the Shortness of Life

Mehr Wissen in weniger Zeit

Sachbücher auf den Punkt gebracht

Kernaussagen aus Sachbüchern in ca. 15 Minuten pro Titel lesen & anhören mit den „Blinks”

Zeitsparende Empfehlungen

Titel, die dein Leben bereichern, passend zu deinen Interessen und Zielen

Podcasts in Kurzform ^Neu

Kernaussagen wichtiger Podcasts im Kurzformat mit den neuen „Shortcasts”

Worum geht es in On the Shortness of Life?

On the Shortness of Life (49 AD) is an essay on how to appreciate life – and how to use it. These blinks show you what is truly valuable in this world and how to avoid getting distracted by unimportant matters. They’ll show you where genuine happiness comes from and why working hard will not lead to a tranquil and satisfied mind.

Wer On the Shortness of Life lesen sollte

Workaholics who never have any time for anything
Thinkers trying to decide what it means to live a good life
Anyone who wants to be inspired to learn and read more

Über den Autor

Lucius Annaeus Seneca, or, as he is better known, Seneca the Younger, was a Roman philosopher and statesman during the first century AD. Seneca was part of the philosophical school of Stoicism. He wrote a broad range of works, including essays, letters, tragedies, a biography of his father and even a Menippean satire.

Kategorien mit On the Shortness of Life

Philosophie

Ähnlich wie On the Shortness of Life

Letters from a Stoic

Seneca

Learn about the good life from a true Roman statesman

A Take-No-Prisoners Guide to Overcoming Obstacles and Achieving Peak Performance in Life

12 min

3.8

A Guide to the Good Life

William B. Irvine

The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy

The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness – A New Interpretation by Sharon Lebell

The stoic thinking of a Philosopher-King

10 min

4.2

That One Should Disdain Hardships

Musonius Rufus

The Teachings of a Roman Stoic

21 min

4.6

The Daily Stoic

Ryan Holiday & Stephen Hanselman

366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance and the Art of Living

One of the most important philosophical texts ever written

A Philosophical Tale About the Failures of Government Coercion

20 min

3.6

Man’s Search for Meaning

Viktor Frankl

The harrowing experiences of the author in a concentration camp

17 min

4.4

How to Think Like a Roman Emperor

Donald Robertson

The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking

The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking

Ancient Wisdom For Modern Living

And Other Dangerous Situations

An Ancient Guide to Wise Leadership

20 min

4.2

Madness and Civilization

Michel Foucault

A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason

Say Less to Get More from Any Pitch or Presentation

27 min

4.5

The Story of Philosophy

Will Durant

The Lives and Opinions of the World's Greatest Philosophers

The Jaw-dropping Tragedy That Shocked Ancient Greece

Lose Weight, Supercharge Your Energy, and Sleep Well Every Night

20 min

4.5

That Little Voice in Your Head

Mo Gawdat

Adjust the Code That Runs Your Brain

Developing Mental Agility and Resilience to Thrive in Uncertainty

16 min

4.3

The Gap and the Gain

Dan Sullivan with Benjamin Hardy

The High Achievers' Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success

Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

9 min

4.3

The Ethics of Ambiguity

Simone de Beauvoir

A foundational text of existentialist philosophy

Are You Indispensable?

One Boy’s Desire for Reinvention to Climb the Social Ladder

From Effectiveness to Greatness

17 min

4.0

The Porn Trap

Wendy Maltz & Larry Maltz

The Essential Guide to Overcoming Problems Caused by Pornography

20 min

4.2

A Short History of Nearly Everything

Bill Bryson

A journey into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer

38 min

4.5

The 33 Strategies of War

Robert Greene

A Comprehensive Guide to the Subtle Social Game of Everyday Life

16 min

4.1

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Robert Pirsig

An Inquiry into Values

11 min

3.9

Lives of the Stoics

Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman

The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius

28 min

4.4

Discipline Equals Freedom

Feeling Is The Secret

Neville Goddard

Ideas that Shape the World

14 min

4.6

Why Nations Fail

Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson

The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty

Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life

19 min

4.4

The Happiest Man on Earth

Eddie Jaku

The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor

How to free yourself from philosophical dogmas and assert your own values

25 min

4.7

Buddhism – Plain and Simple

Steve Hagen

The Practice of Being Aware, Right Now, Every Day

Powerful Habits to Own Your Thoughts, Understand Your Feelings, and Change Your Life

Train Your Subconscious to Grow Mentally and Materially

23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present

16 min

4.2

How I Invest My Money

Edited by Joshua Brown and Brian Portnoy

Finance Experts Reveal How They Save, Spend, and Invest

20 min

4.0

The Wealth of Nations

Adam Smith

The most influential economic book of all time

11 min

4.4

How to Be an Epicurean

Catherine Wilson

The Ancient Art of Living Well

23 min

4.4

Logistics and Supply Chain Innovation

John Manners-Bell

A Practical Guide to Disruptive Technologies and New Business Models

Time Management for Mortals

23 min

4.5

❤️ für Blinkist️️️

Ines S.

Ich bin begeistert. Ich liebe Bücher aber durch zwei kleine Kinder komme ich einfach nicht zum Lesen. Und ja, viele Bücher haben viel bla bla und die Quintessenz ist eigentlich ein Bruchteil.

Genau dafür ist Blinkist total genial! Es wird auf das Wesentliche reduziert, die Blinks sind gut verständlich, gut zusammengefasst und auch hörbar! Das ist super. 80 Euro für ein ganzes Jahr klingt viel, aber dafür unbegrenzt Zugriff auf 3000 Bücher. Und dieses Wissen und die Zeitersparnis ist unbezahlbar.

Ekaterina S.

Extrem empfehlenswert. Statt sinnlos im Facebook zu scrollen höre ich jetzt täglich zwischen 3-4 "Bücher". Bei manchen wird schnelle klar, dass der Kauf unnötig ist, da schon das wichtigste zusammen gefasst wurde..bei anderen macht es Lust doch das Buch selbständig zu lesen. Wirklich toll

Nils S.

Einer der besten, bequemsten und sinnvollsten Apps die auf ein Handy gehören. Jeden morgen 15-20 Minuten für die eigene Weiterbildung/Entwicklung oder Wissen.

Julia P.

Viele tolle Bücher, auf deren Kernaussagen reduziert- präzise und ansprechend zusammengefasst. Endlich habe ich das Gefühl, Zeit für Bücher zu finden, für die ich sonst keine Zeit habe.