[One Thousand Characters a Day] Seneca, 'The Philosopher's Consolation' <4>

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Seneca speaks to those who are grieving and suffering from the death of a loved one, saying, "Whether young or old, we are all already moving toward death. Nothing is eternal; there are only things that last longer." The text contains 1,064 characters.

Ah, those who do not know their own disaster, neither praise nor expect death as the greatest invention of nature. Whether it brings happiness, drives away calamity, ends the boredom and fatigue of old age, takes away a young person in full bloom while hoping for better things, calls back a child before reaching the harsh stages of life, death is the end for all, healing for many, hope for some, and for those who decide before being called by anyone else, it is the best of things.

Such death frees slaves even if their masters do not wish it. Death unlocks the shackles of the captive. Death releases those imprisoned by powerless authorities. Death teaches those who are exiled and always think only of their homeland that where one dies does not matter. Death restores everything to equality. Even when fate has wrongly divided the common property, when those born with equal rights have one side dominate the other. After death, no one needs to move according to another’s will. Afterward, no one needs to be ashamed of their condition, and death is not closed to anyone.

Death is, Marcia, what your father wished for. I say that because death exists, birth is not a punishment, and thanks to it, we do not have to kneel before the threat of suffering, and thanks to it, we can keep our minds healthy and autonomous.

Lastly, I want to emphasize something. I see not just one but various kinds of torture. Some hang people upside down, some nail them through the anus, some tie people’s arms spread out on crosses. I see the rack and the whip, and they each twist every limb with their tools. But I also see death.

There are cruel enemies and arrogant citizens over there. But I also see death there. Even if one is sick of domination, if one can take just one step and cross over to freedom, servitude is not a hard thing. Life, I cherish you because of death’s favor.

- Lucius Annaeus Seneca, translated by Lee Se-woon, (Minumsa, 15,000 KRW)

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.