Why not to be Alone ?

It is not to hide your desires & fears, that one choose a solitary life.

Livve among people as if the Gods beheld you; speak with God as if people were listening.

On Living to Oneself

Yes, I do not change my opinion: avoid the many, avoid the few, avoid even the individual.

Crates, they say, the disciple of the very Stilbo whom I mentioned in a former letter, noticed the youth walking by alone, & asked what they were doing all alone. “I am communing with myself,” replied the youth; “Pray be careful, then,” said Crates, “& take good heed; you are communing with a bad person!”

When persons are in mourning, or fearful about something, we are accustomed to watch them that we may prevent them from making a wrong use of their loneliness.

No thoughtless person ought to be left alone; in such cases they only plan folly, & heaps up future dangers for themselves or for others; they bring into play their base desires; the mind displays what fear or shame used to repress; it whets their boldness, stirs their passions, & goads their anger.

Finally, the only benefit that solitude confers, – the habit of trusting no one, & of fearing no witnesses, – is lost to the fool; for they betray themselves.

Mark therefore what my hopes are for you, – nay, rather, what I am promising myself, inasmuch as hope is merely the title of an uncertain blessing: I do not know any person with whom I should prefer you to associate rather than yourself.

You are not one of the many; you have regard for your rreal welfare.
Speak, & live, in this way; see to it that nothing keeps you down.

As for your former prayers, you may dispense the divine from answering them; offer new prayers; pray for a sound mind & for good health, first of soul & then of body, & of course you should offer these prayers frequently.

Call boldly upon the Divine; you will not be asking for that which belongs to another.

I must, as is my custom, send a little gift along with this letter; It is a true saying which I have found in Athenodorus: “Know that thou art freed from all desires, when thou hast reached such a point that thou, prayest to the Divine for nothing, except what thou canst pray for openly.”

How foolish people are now!, They whisper the basest of prayers to heaven; but if anyone listens, they are silent at once; that which they are unwilling for people to know, they communicate to God.

Livve among people as if the Gods beheld you; speak with God as if people were listening”.

Farewell.

Seneca, StoicTaoist.

为何不独自一人？

选择孤独的生活，并不是为了隐藏你的欲望和恐惧。

生活在人与人之间，仿佛众神注视着你；与上帝交谈时，就像众人们都在倾听一样。

论独居

是的，我不会改变我的观点：避开多数人，避开少数人，甚至避开个人。

他们说，克瑞，我在前一封信中提到的斯蒂尔博的门徒，注意到有个年轻人独自走过，问他独自在做什么。“我在和自己交流，”年轻人回答，“那么请小心点，”克瑞说，“留心；你正和一个坏人交流！”

当人们悲伤或害怕某事时，我们习惯于观察他们，以防止他们错误地利用他们的孤独。

任何轻率的人都不应该被孤立；在这种情况下，他们只会策划愚蠢的行为，为自己或他人积累未来的危险；他们发挥自己的基本欲望；心神显示出恐惧或羞耻曾经压抑过的东西；它刺激他们的勇气，激发他们的激情，激起他们的愤怒。

最后，孤独所带来的唯一事处，即不相信任何人、不害怕目击者的习惯，已经被愚人遗忘了，因为他们背叛了自己。

因此，请注意我对你的希望是什么——不，相反，我对自己的承诺是什么，因为希望只是一个不确定的祝福的标题：我不知道我更希望你与谁交往，你以您自己。

你不是许多人中的一个，你关心的是你的实际福利。
用这种方式说话和生活；注意不要让任何事情让你失望。

至于你以前的祷告，你可以免除神的应允；提供新的祈祷；为健全的心灵和健康祈祷，首先是灵魂，然后是身体，当然你应该经常做这些祈祷。

大胆地召唤神；你不会要求别人的祈祷。

但是，按照我的习惯，我必须随信寄一份小礼物；这是我在阿瑟诺多罗斯身上找到的一句真话：

“要知道，当你达到这样一个地步，你除了可以公开祈祷的东西外，什么也不向神祈祷时，你就从所有的欲望中解脱了。”

但是现在的人是多么愚蠢啊！，他们向天堂低语最卑鄙的祈祷；但如果有人听了，他们立刻就沉默了；他们不愿意让人们知道的事情，他们会与上帝沟通。

生活在人与人之间，仿佛众神注视着你；与上帝交谈时，就像众人们都在倾听一样。

再会。

塞内卡，坚道学。