In history, few philosophers have come with workable, solid advice about dealing with setbacks. Socrates (470-399 BC), Plato (427-347 BC) and Aristotle (384-322 BC) had given little thought to this matter, concentrating their efforts on logic and epistemology rather than on human psychology. Seneca was the first philosopher in history to come up with a complete prescription for dealing with setbacks in all sorts of circumstances. He took the insights developed by Zeno of Citium (334-262 BC) and Cleanthes (330-230 BC) in prior centuries, and turned them into a ready-made formula. The formula appears, in bits and pieces, in the essays and in the Letters to Lucilius written by Seneca. I am outlining here the principles, so that today’s reader can access them right away without having to go through hundreds of pages. Seneca’s formula consists of three steps: First, making a fair assessment of our problems. Second, addressing the most acute problems with priority. Third, looking for ways to turn those problems into stepping stones. The first step is the most difficult because many people tend to blow their problems out of proportion. I must include myself sometimes in this category, although experience has taught me how to apply Seneca’s insights more consistently. In the 41st Letter to Lucilius, Seneca provides an extremely effective recommendation in this area: If we want to assess our problems accurately, we should put them in perspective. If we are terrified of falling ill or going bankrupt, we should remind ourselves of our mortality. Reading Seneca had led me to consider the strategy of reflecting daily on death in order to live fully. Compared to death, all problems seem of little importance, whether they are financial, emotional, social, or medical. As long as we are alive, we have possibilities of improving our situation. It is easy to regain balance, if we train ourselves to consider death as the alternative. The consequence of doing so is that we will devote more energy to taking practical action, and much less to complaints and lamentations. Seneca’s second step is to identify, amongst all our pressing problems, those that are the most severe. By “severity,” I mean “lethality,” not discomfort or embarrassment. We should ignore our natural tendency to focus on pain as the principal criterion. It is painful to suffer from indigestion, but probably less lethal than a heart condition that is not giving us any pain at this moment. As a general rule, humans tend to be more objective when they look at somebody else’s problems than when they look at their own. We may prove capable of identifying the most lethal threat for a friend, while we remain blind and deaf to the risks that we are facing ourselves. In his 111th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca advised drawing the counsel of a good friend. His definition of “good friend” is however quite demanding. Seneca meant “someone willing to point to our mistakes and propose improvements.” If we can draw this kind of advice, that would be ideal, but on many occasions, the threats might require immediate action, allowing us no time for consultations. For this reason, it’s good to build one’s self-reliance and learn to keep a cool head during crisis situations. Seneca had great appreciation for friendship, but favoured self-reliance over all. From the 111th Letter to Lucilius, I have concluded that a wise man does not rely on friends for securing his peace of mind. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/senecas-advice-on-setbacks/