일요일 2026년1월18일	-	Tasks

Seneca, On the Tranquility of the Mind, Section 6:

	Before anything, it is imperative that a man reaches an
	estimate of himself, because generally we suppose
	ourselves to be capable of more than we are. We must next
	evaluate what we are proposing to undertake, for a person
	concerned in performing a task must always be stronger
	than the task; and leave alone those that expand more as
	you proceed and do not come to an end at the place you
	intend.
	
It is good to understand both ourselves (the internal) and the task
(the external). Without this, we cannot properly proceed, but will
subject ourselves the vagaries of chance and conceit, knowing success
only by happenstance.

Seneca had a third consideration to make before any undertaking, and that
was to consider for whose sake we were striving, or with whom we would be
working. I'm not entirely certain I agree with this one. I admit that it
certainly has a feeling of wisdom to it, but at the same time, does
virtue only work when the rewards are dispensed to the worthy? But
perhaps this isn't what Seneca had in mind. My understanding is that we
undertake a task because we know it to be the right thing to do,
irrespective of the beneficiary of the act, because the beneficiary
ultimately is us. We take a step towards being the person we want to be
with each act of virtue. Of course, this too could be a mistake and only
displays my weak grasp of Stoicism, all of which seems to justify my
decision to leave out the third element for further consideration.