Le philosophia moderate de Seneca

(Languages of this post: Interlingua, Latin, English)

Me place multissimo que tu te applica assiduemente a meliorar te cata die, e io te incoragia a perseverar.

Me io te preveni: Non sia extravagante in tu vestimentos o in tu stilo de vita, como illes qui vermente non vole meliorar se ma solmente vole dar le apparentia de illo. E evita un apparentia aspere, un capite intonse, un barba negligite, un odio contra le moneta, e ulle altere ambition perverse. Que nos sia dissimille intra nos ma conforme con alteres in nostre maniera de expression.

Que tu toga no sia ni splendide ni sordide. Que nos non ha argento pro celar nostre auro, ma que nos anque non crede que il es un symbolo de frugalitate carer de auro e argento.

Que nos perseque un vita melior que illo del gente commun, ma non un vita contrari. Alteremente illes que nos vole cambiar nos abandonara e fugira de nos, nam illes non volera imitar mesmo un parte de lo que nos face si illes crede que illes debe imitar toto.

Isto es lo que le philosophia nos da: le senso commun, le humanitate, un felice vita social; le dissimilaritate nos separara. Nostre proposito es viver secundo le natura. Il es contra le natura torturar le corpore, odiar le munditia, preferer le immunditia, le miseria, e alimentos non solmente incostose ma anque infecte e rude.

Como il es folle desirar cosas molle e luxuriose, il es anque folle evitar cosas ordniari e obtenibile. Le philosophia require le frugalitate, non le punition. Le frugalitate anque pote esser immunde. Iste compromisso me place: Que le vita sia temperate inter mores bon e public. E que omnes admira nostre vita durante que illes lo comprende.

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Philosophia modica Senecae

Quod pertinaciter studes et, omnibus omissis, hoc unum agis, ut te meliorem cotidie facias, maxime placet mihi.

Illud autem te admoneo: ne eorum more, qui vere non proficere sed conspici cupiunt, facias in habitu tuo aut genere vitae aliquid notabile. Atque asperum cultum et intonsum caput et neglegentiorem barbam et indictum argento odium et quicquid aliud ambitionem perverse sequitur, evita. Intus omnia dissimilia sint, frons populo nostro conveniat.

Ne splendeat toga: ne sordeat quidem. Ne habeamus argentum in quod solidi auri caelatura descenderit, sed ne putemos frugalitatis indicium (esse) auro argentoque caruisse.

Meliorem vitam sequamur quam vulgus, sed non contrariam: alioquin eos, quos emendari volumus, fugamus a nobis et avertimus. Nihil enim imitari volunt nostre, dum putant imitanda esse omnia.

Hoc philosophia dat nobis: sensum communem, humanitatem et vitam socialem felicem; dissimilitudo nos separabit. Nempe propositum nostrum est secundum naturam vivere: hoc contra naturam est, torquere corpus suum et faciles odisse munditias et squalorem appetere et cibis non tantum vilibus uti, sed taetris et horridis.

Quemadmodum desiderare delicatas res luxuriae est, ita usitatas et parabiles fugere, dementiae (est). Frugalitatem exigit philosophia, non poenam: potest autem esse non incompta frugalitas. Hic mihi modus placet: temperetur vita inter bonos mores et publicos; suspiciant omnes vitam nostram, sed agnoscant.

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Seneca's Philosophy of Moderation

I am really quite pleased that you are applying yourself assiduously to improve yourself each day, and I encourage you to persevere.

I would like to warn you about this, however: Don't be extravagant in your clothing or in your way of living like people who don't want to really improve themselves but merely give the appearance of doing so. And avoid a harsh appearance, an uncut head of hair, a careless beard, a declaration of war against money, or any other perverse ambition. Let's be different on the inside but in agreement with others in the way we express ourselves.

Let your toga be neither flashy nor grubby. Let's not have silver to conceal our gold, but let's not think that it is a sign of frugality to do without gold and silver.

Let's follow a better life than the common people but not one that causes conflict. Otherwise the people we want to change will abandon and run away from us, for they won't want to imitate even a part of what we do if they think they must imitate everything.

This is what philosophy gives us: common sense, humanity, a happy social life; being to different will separate us. Our purpose is to live according to nature. It is against nature to torture the body, to hate cleanliness, to prefer to be dirty and poor, and to go for food that is cheap but also dirty and rough.

Just as it is crazy to go after softness and luxury, the same is true about rejecting ordinary and easily available things. Philosophy requires frugality, not punishment. Frugality can also be dirty and messy. I like this compromise: Let everyone admire our way of life while understanding it.