Even though it was one of the most creative periods of his life, even though he was finally free of the affairs of state, Seneca must have been nagged by a profound disappointment. He had failed—failed not only to corral Nero, but he had failed himself and his philosophy, staying so long in the service of so bad a man.
Sure, he still had his estates. He still had his family and friends. He had his considerable intellectual powers and interests. But he was in exile, literally and figuratively. As he took his walks in the countryside, filling his days in nature and with his writing, he was nonetheless a tragic figure.
Seneca in this period calls to mind a certain song lyric:
Now I'm just a broken parable Of values I used to hold
How had he protected Nero for so long? How had he gotten so rich in the process? It was unseemly. He was a cautionary tale to his fellow Romans and certainly to his philosopher peers. Like that line from Sophocles, he had gone to a tyrant's court of his own free will…and come out a slave.
This is ultimately the main philosophical lesson that Seneca has to teach us: Be wary whom you go to work for. Be suspicious of your own ambition. Don't ignore your own soul's warning. Moral compromises add up and eventually destroy you.
P.S. If you'd like to take a fascinating dive into Seneca's trials in service of Nero, we highly recommend James Romm's Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero (you can grab it from The Painted Porch here!). And check out the video of James Romm on the Daily Stoic podcast discussing what happens When Good People Lose Themselves to Tyrants.
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