Download PDF On the Shortness of Life New Revised 2018 Translation Seneca Damian Stevenson Books

Product details Paperback 42 pages Publisher CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; New, Revised, Translation edition (February 7, 2018) Language English ISBN-10 1985208725

On the Shortness of Life New Revised 2018 Translation Seneca Damian Stevenson Books Reviews

• There's two books I wish I read when I was pre-pubescent. This and "What is Man". I sent the latter to my god-son and have a copy of both for myself. EVERYONE... yes EVERYONE should read this absolute gem. It is a short read in old english broken into 1-4 page chapters and sets principles I wish I framed all my life choices around. Whether you are a sincerely active religious person or someone contemplative, someone makink career and life choices, if you have not read this, you may not have all the puzzle pieces. Topics include pursuit of romance, wealth, fame, ... and puts them in a perspective that is highly challenging. I'm not mentioning the specifics because it's worth catching them in context. Short but worth many times over the purchase price.
• I did not like this "new" translation. I really doubt that Seneca used the terms "macho" and "reboot" (among others.) Perhaps this translator was trying to update Seneca's ideas for modern sensibilities. But Seneca's writings have been around for 2,000 years, and I would have preferred a translation honoring that ancient wisdom which still matters today, rather than the translator's off-putting attempts at being clever and trendy.
• Too little time? Life's too short? Across the millennia the richest man in Rome and one of the sanest philosophers you will meet across the ages offers advice to get more out of your limited time span.Seneca rightly observes that someone who wastes your time steals the most precious commodity you have - time lost can never be restored. He describes first century Rome as if it is today, you never have time for friends, or they for you. You don't get to see anybody without an appointment. Time flies. But then comes some of the most beautifully true words in the history of advice on the art of living The great philosophers of the past always have time for you Plato, Aristotle, Epictetus, they are all at your disposal in the middle of the night. They are never too busy for you. Engage with them through their words. And as you read well into the past, you transcend the limitations of your own life, suddenly your own life stretches across the centuries. You gain longevity by living into the past, even if your future is limited! I came across this book of Seneca some ten years ago and I could never understand why it was never prescribed to us in academic philosophy! And then the potency of the insights are matched by the brevity of the writing. This book can rightly be called a source for a sane and inspirational life.
• Quite frankly one of the best books I have ever read. I recommend it to others and I refer to it a lot in my First Year Experience class when talking about time management and prioritizing. Bottom line - a must read for anyone.
• A fantastic book that points out how important time management is in the world we live in. This book is a classic that should be in every school and be mandatory reading before high school.
  
  The book explains how time is the moist precious resource we have it is something that we cannot buy but rather something we all have a finite amount of no matter how wealth or poor we are. It is the thing we should be the most frugal with yet the thing we often waste the most of.
• A little hard to read, maybe it's the translation, maybe it me, but it is very short and, well just OK. I have the "Letters from a Stoic" by the same publisher and it is thick and easy to read and I really like it. Not sure why this translation has such a different feel to it
• The entire book can be found on-line for free, with footnotes. However, I enjoyed turning the pages of my hardcover copy.
  
  Seneca cautions against wasting time. Either to prevent wasting our time, or to not waste his own, he wrote a very short book. Seneca points out the fruitlessness of seeking prosperity and recommended retirement to a life of pursuing philosophy. Of course the book was issued in 49 CE, the same year that Seneca was recalled to Rome after an eight year exile. His biography implies that, while in Rome, he may no longer have been "master of his time."
• Still working my way through it. Fascinating. Humbling. Useful for detaching yourself from so much petty nonsense.