{"id":12269,"date":"2021-12-23T12:29:47","date_gmt":"2021-12-23T17:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailystoic.com\/?p=12269"},"modified":"2021-12-23T12:29:47","modified_gmt":"2021-12-23T17:29:47","slug":"on-this-day-a-star-was-born","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailystoic.com\/on-this-day-a-star-was-born\/","title":{"rendered":"On This Day, A Star Was Born"},"content":{"rendered":"

Roughly two thousand years ago, there was a woman who went into labor in a province of the Roman empire. Her son would go on to be one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived. He taught people about the importance of kindness, mercy, forgiveness, on doing one\u2019s duty, on the corruptive influence of wealth and the redemptive power of poverty and adversity. Eventually, his wisdom became controversial, a threat to the state, and so he was painfully put to death by the Romans. As he experienced the agony and humiliation of a very public death sentence, he asked his loved ones and his followers to stay strong, to forgive the excesses of an emperor who did not know what he was doing. In those brave final moments, he immortalized himself forever.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who are we talking about? <\/span>Today is Christmas<\/span><\/i>, you are thinking, <\/span>that\u2019s obviously the life of Jesus.<\/span><\/i> Well, it\u2019s also the life of <\/span>Seneca<\/span><\/a>. Remarkably, Seneca and Jesus lived nearly parallel lives. Not only that, but they were also born\u2014according to many sources\u2014in the same year. No one can confirm for certain the exact birth date for either, but it is indisputable that two of history\u2019s greatest philosophers walked the earth at the same time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More incredible is just how much their teachings overlap. And it\u2019s worth taking some time this Christmas morning to consider those similarities:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.\u201d \u2014 Jesus<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Seneca<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.\u201d \u2014 Jesus<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a petty and sorry person who will bite back when he is bitten.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Seneca<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why do you look at the speck in your brother\u2019s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?\u201d \u2014 Jesus<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou look at the pimples of others when you yourselves are covered with a mass of sores.\u201d \u2014 Seneca<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal\u2026No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.\u201d \u2014 Jesus<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf my wealth should melt away it would deprive me of nothing but itself, but if yours were to depart you would be stunned and feel you were deprived of what makes you yourself. With me, wealth has a certain place; in your case it has the highest place. In short, I own my wealth, your wealth owns you.\u201d \u2014 Seneca<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now Seneca was obviously just a man\u2014a flawed and contradictory man at that\u2014while Jesus\u2014depending on your beliefs\u2014was both a man and God. But it is fascinating to think that they were both born in the same year, in the same empire, and died bravely facing evil. B<\/span>oth would be immensely popular in their own time, and long after. Both would run afoul of the powerful interests of their time. Both would be forced, in their final moments, to <\/span>live<\/span><\/i> their teachings\u2014Jesus, on the cross, asking for forgiveness for the people who had wronged him. Seneca as he comforted his friends and family when Nero\u2019s goons came to demand his suicide. Tacitus, who also tells us about the life of \u201cChristus,\u201d would note how Seneca had made plans for such an ordeal, writing that <\/span>\u201ceven in the height of his wealth and power he was thinking of his life\u2019s close.\u201d So too, the Bible tells us, had Jesus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Their words and their example lives on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Especially here as we bring 2021 to a close, wondering how we\u2019ll get through this, how we\u2019ll survive. We\u2019ll make it by clinging to these timeless principles from those timeless philosophers. We\u2019ll get by on love, on wisdom, on courage, and self-discipline. We\u2019ll find beauty in the ordinary. We\u2019ll be of service to others. We\u2019ll zoom out and look at the big picture. We\u2019ll zoom in on what’s immediately in front of us. We\u2019ll find something to be grateful for\u2014because there is <\/span>always<\/span><\/i> something to be grateful for.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Life is short, Seneca said. It was short for Jesus, too. What matters is what you do while you\u2019re here. What matters is what you do with the year (and the days) you\u2019ve been given. What matters is the example you leave behind you for others to follow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Enjoy today. Don\u2019t be afraid. Do what\u2019s right.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Follow in their footsteps. They\u2019ve shown us the way.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Roughly two thousand years ago, there was a woman who went into labor in a province of the Roman empire. Her son would go on to be one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived. He taught people about the importance of kindness, mercy, forgiveness, on doing one\u2019s duty, on the corruptive influence of wealth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5269,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nOn This Day, A Star Was Born<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dailystoic.com\/on-this-day-a-star-was-born\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"On This Day, A Star Was Born\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Roughly two thousand years ago, there was a woman who went into labor in a province of the Roman empire. 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