How to Keep Your Cool: An Ancient Guide to Anger Management

Description

Timeless wisdom on controlling anger in personal life and politics from the Roman Stoic philosopher and statesman Seneca In his essay “On Anger” ( De Ira ), the Roman Stoic thinker Seneca (c. 4 BC–65 AD) argues that anger is the most destructive passion: “No plague has cost the human race more dear.” This was proved by his own life, which he barely preserved under one wrathful emperor, Caligula, and lost under a second, Nero. This splendid new translation of essential selections from “On Anger,” presented with an enlightening introduction and the original Latin on facing pages, offers readers a timeless guide to avoiding and managing anger. It vividly illustrates why the emotion is so dangerous and why controlling it would bring vast benefits to individuals and society. Drawing on his great arsenal of rhetoric, including historical examples (especially from Caligula’s horrific reign), anecdotes, quips, and soaring flights of eloquence, Seneca builds his case against anger with mounting intensity. Like a fire-and-brimstone preacher, he paints a grim picture of the moral perils to which anger exposes us, tracing nearly all the world’s evils to this one toxic source. But he then uplifts us with a beatific vision of the alternate path, a path of forgiveness and compassion that resonates with Christian and Buddhist ethics. Seneca’s thoughts on anger have never been more relevant than today, when uncivil discourse has increasingly infected public debate. Whether seeking personal growth or political renewal, readers will find, in Seneca’s wisdom, a valuable antidote to the ills of an angry age. Review: Wisdom for All, Anger for None - Seneca was a first-century Stoic philosopher exiled under Caligula and murdered by Nero. How to Keep Your Cool consists of lengthy selections from his essay De Ira (On Anger). Like other volumes in this series, the book is bilingual, in this case consisting of Latin (on the left) and English (on the right). It is a powerful and thought-provoking read. According to Seneca, anger is a desire to punish wrong, whether real or perceived (p. 15; 1.6). Perhaps this seems familiar, and even praiseworthy (for anger sounds righteous), but his approach to the matter will likely strike many as odd. Unlike the contemporary belief that anger can be rightly channeled, Seneca believes that anger is simply dangerous. It is 'the ugliest and most savage of all emotions', 'hardly human', and 'a brief madness' (p. 5; 1.1). When angry, we are 'transported beyond mortal thinking by an insane mind' (pp. 25-27; 1.20). His remedy is to first avoid situations where we are likely to become angry, and second to make sure that if we are angry, we do no harm. He doubts that anger can be useful, because 'it's easier to shut out harmful things than to govern them, easier to deny them entry than to moderate them once they have entered' (p. 17; 1.7). As I look around (and at myself), I think he is right. All of this indicates that the danger is not just true of the individual but of society as a whole, and Seneca applies his views on anger to larger social contexts as well. When angry, we should not trust the belief that we have, in fact, been wronged (p. 47; 2.22); 'we grow angry before we use our judgment' and are thus quick to believe the worst about another's motives (p. 49; 2.23). Groups are the same, and 'often a whole crowd has lined up to march into anger' (p. 115; 3.2), such that 'a monstrous frenzy carries away the citizens' and social norms are abrogated (pp. 117-19; 3.2). Anger affects not just individuals, but societies. Seneca has given me much to ponder. There is much here worthy of reflection - and, above all, application to our own lives. Review: Really helpful. Great quality book. Just… - I’m really enjoying this book and learning a lot. I like the color and feel of the dust jacket. The pages are pure white with nice sized black text. Every opposite page has, I assume, the Ancient Greek. It’s fun to try and work out the words and sentences that match the English. So far (I’m about 60% in) the subjects are great, how to raise a child without anger, why anger is bad, how to deal with it as an adult. Really great info that every person should read. My own gripe… it seems the author has translated some words to fit American Christians vocabulary. “Sin” and “knights” are two examples. I feel is does a disservice to Seneca and the ancients and messes with the understanding of the mindset of the people from that time. They don’t deserve to have parts that made them great and unique white washed away for the sake of El worshipers today.