Welcome to Stoic Snippets,
The philosophy track that is short in length,
But not in depth.
The philosopher's body also must be well prepared for work,
Because often virtues use it as a necessary tool for the activities of life.
Masonius Rufus The Stoics form an impressive list of physical specimens.
You just have to look at the old Greek statues to see this.
Chrysippus was a long-distance runner,
Cleanthes was a boxer,
As was Marcus Aurelius.
They write at length about how we should keep our bodies fit.
However,
It is only ever in the service of the mind that we work the body.
Well,
At least according to Seneca.
He teases us with the following.
For it is silly,
My dear Lucillus,
And no way for an educated man to behave,
To spend one's time exercising the biceps,
Broadening the neck and shoulders and developing the lungs.
Even when the extra feeding has produced gratifying results and you've put on a lot of muscle,
You'll never match the strength or the weight of a prize ox.
The greater the load,
Moreover,
On the body,
Is crushing the spirit and renders it less active.
So keep the body within bounds as much as you can,
And make room for the spirit.
Seneca was a big proponent of keeping it simple.
He said we should exercise by all means,
But only do it in service of the mind.
And in keeping with that,
Don't waste unnecessary time.
So choose exercises that you could do anywhere in any condition,
As he says,
In heat,
Cold,
Or even in old age.
His reasoning is that your body doesn't need much to stay operational and can easily be trained in a matter of hours.
But the mind has a huge capacity for exercising thought,
And as humans,
There lies our true advantage.
Like he said,
An ox is utilized for his strength and can never be beaten on that.
We,
On the other hand,
Can be utilized for thinking,
And we should optimize for that.
Now,
There is a cost to training,
A cost of energy,
Cost of time,
Cost of money even.
So make sure these calculations make sense.
You see,
Only part of your suffering can be solved by physical training.
As a neuroscience postgraduate,
I know all too well the good that comes from physical training,
Don't get me wrong.
However,
Seneca is right.
It only takes roughly 30 minutes a day,
Maybe an hour tops,
To keep your body in pretty good shape.
In fact,
One study found that you only had to do three minutes of exercise three times a week to keep your internal organs firing at optimal level.
Just a caveat there,
You had to be working out for those three minutes at full capacity like you were dead afterwards.
So if you're going to do it,
Make sure you do it right.
Okay,
So back to Seneca.
He made us aware that much of the heavy lifting when it comes to overcoming our suffering comes from the mind.
It's our approach to life,
Our coping mechanisms,
Our mental fortitude.
It is in our mind that we want to focus our attention and energy mostly,
Because that's the seat of your power as a human,
As someone who is trying to overcome suffering to live a good life.
It is in practicing the four virtues that you will find freedom from suffering and the adventure of your lifetime.
And those things do not necessarily require a broad neck or broad shoulders,
To quote Seneca.
Exercise your body by all means,
But not at the expense of your mind.
Exercise your body only in service of the mind.
Good luck with that.
If you would like to hear more,
Go check out my courses on Stoicism.
I think you're really going to like them.
