Something I hate is how people expect philosophers to live up to their philosophies. Usually, people’s disappointment comes down to a fundamental misunderstanding of the philosophy. That’s certainly the case with Arthur Schopenhauer, who many people think should have killed himself. But it’s also true in modern politics where conservatives complain that well known liberals are rich, as though being a liberal is the same as being a Franciscan with a vow of poverty. But perhaps the most wronged philosopher is Seneca the Younger. Yes, he was a Stoic philosopher, but did anyone really expect him to live like that? In short: yes. But that’s wrong.
So Seneca came up a little short in the “living by his principles” measure. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that he was an interesting philosopher who was damned quotable. And it is on this second point that I want to spend some time. Because I found this great little webpage, Latin Quotes by Seneca. And some of it is really great—even things I disagree with.
Aequat omnes cinis
This means, “Ashes level all.” But it is perhaps better to say, “Death insures equality.” Well, that’s not true! It’s something people say to justify inequality and injustice. But you might as well say that “birth insures equality” or “breathing insures equality.” It’s all a bunch of rubbish. And in modern America, we have a special twist. If you are poor, death comes sooner. The only way that “ashes level all” is if history does not exist. This statement is only really true is in a trivial way: when life is over, it is over. Does that make being poor the same as being rich. No. So shut up about it!
Aut regem, aut fatuum nasci oportet
This one is some seriously messed up Latin syntax, but it more or less means, “A king or a fool you ought to be born.” If I had a coat of arms, that is what I would put on it. Of course, I would add, “Aut non sum.” That means, “I am not.” I am neither powerful nor am I a fool. That is my cross to bear. To me, what this means is that if you aren’t born lucky, it is best that you be stupid so you don’t spend your whole life wondering about the injustice of the world. Which reminds me: why do people believe in a loving god?
Divitae bonum non sunt
This one means, “Material wealth is not the supreme good.” Here we kind of get into that area where people had a problem with Seneca. Because the man did like his luxuries—everything money could buy, and that included people. But I agree with the idea. Unfortunately, I live in a society that might give lip service to this idea but it wholly rejects it. The saying that would would be displayed on the coat of arms of America is, “Bonum est cupiditas.” That’s “Greed is good.”
Errare humanum est, Perseverare diabolicum
This is the best one, “To err is human, to persevere is diabolical.” This too is a saying that goes against American values. Here we believe that winners never quit and quitters never win. But that’s so much rubbish, it is hard to know where to start. There are no hard and fast rules. Sometimes quitting is exactly the right thing to do. When I was eight years old, I wanted to be a great baseball pitcher. I rightly gave up on that dream almost immediately. Since then, my decisions have been far less laudable. But here in the US, it is considered noble to pretend that you aren’t wrong and just continue doing the same thing wrong. Who knows? You might luck out! But it’s really doubtful.
Homines, dum docent, discunt
This is something I always stressed to my students, “Men learn while they teach.” Education is something that pays the teacher far more than the student. People who try to hide their knowledge only end up hurting themselves. I remember in math classes, I would help people and it seemed terrible because it only made the difference between those I helped and myself greater. But as long as they gain in an absolute sense, it is for the good. Stingy people are repaid in kind.
Otium sine litteris mors est et hominis vivi sepultura
Ah, this one sums me up, “Leisure without literature is death, and being buried alive.” Although I would take it further. Wherever I go, I bring a book. The idea of having to spend five minutes without having something interesting to read is just too terrifying.
That’s all for Seneca now. Food for thought. But as with Seneca’s life, not to necessarily be taken all that seriously.
More and more, I find myself feeling like Louise on 
There is a fundamental problem with this idea that people have about how the Republicans must pass immigration reform to mend their relationship with the Latino community. First, Latinos care about a lot more than immigration. As a group, they are poorer and so they would vote for the Democrats regardless. Second, it is clear that if the Republicans did pass immigration reform, they would do it kicking and screaming. I don’t feel like looking it up, but the failed House bill contained a path to citizenship that was almost two decades long! Now Republicans are even against a bill that would normalize the status of undocumented people with no path to citizenship at all.
Unlike most liberals, I “get” Ann Coulter. She is fairly smart, actually has a good sense of humor, and knows what she is: a provocateur. She’s also vile and politically pretty much a fascist. She’s nationalistic, anti-diversity, and she fetishizes “strength” and “power.” But like me, last week she decided to go after America’s recent interest in soccer. Of course, although we were equally snarky, I at least made sense, 
I am often reminded of something that D W Griffith said about his innovative film making. It was more or less that he didn’t see himself as innovating. He was just trying to tell stories. I think that’s generally true of artists. Very few people see themselves as pushing an art form in new directions. They are just trying to communicate in their own way. Of course, Griffith gets rather more credit than he deserves for his work. Today, we talk about someone who doesn’t get nearly enough credit for her work. (Yes: of course it’s a “her.” It had to be, right?)