Art Institute of Chicago. Public domain in the United States.
Life has been happening, and I have had my share of adult responsibilities lately. I moved into a new apartment, which prevented me from keeping up with this small project. Today, however, I have settled in: the carpets are laid, things are in order, and I have returned to my dearest Seneca.
In his third epistle, Seneca begins by pointing out an apparent absurdity in the behaviour of his correspondent. The man entrusts a ‘friend’ with delivering his letter to Seneca, yet cautions him not to share anything personal with this postman of a friend. Seneca then makes an interesting observation about how we use certain words merely as forms of address. Among these he places the word fellow. Addressing a stranger in the street as one’s fellow does not make the two truly companions (as rendered in Robin Campbell’s translation).
In much the same way, Seneca argues, we should only call someone a friend when we are confident in their character. He continues with further advice on friendship, but what struck me most was his insistence that one should behave in a friend’s presence as one would in one’s own company. Otherwise, the relationship cannot be considered genuine friendship.
This letter starts very easy as a read but builds up into a higher ground of philosophical inquisition and since I am writing only a reflection, this is all I will write for now.