Guest blogger: Seneca's Vacation Wisdom

This time, a guest blogger again! I forced a Dutch friend of mine, Suk-Jae Hummelen, with a serious deadline to provide me with a story for my blog. He sent me something by that deadline while I .... am late again this week. Oh well, it is vacation time and as you will see below ... that is a time to just relax :-)

Enjoy and have a wonderful week!
Rose

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Today, a colleague of mine (I work as an editor for a Dutch newspaper) told me about a book he was reading. The book was about Nero, the Roman emperor, who was known for his cruelty and the large-scale persecution of Christians. 

I wasn’t fully interested in the story, partly because I was quite busy with an article, partly because I already knew about Nero and his reputation.

But then, this colleague mentioned a name that caught my attention. He talked about Seneca, a famous writer-philosopher in Classical Antiquity who became the most important adviser to Nero.  

In high school I had read and translated many texts written by Seneca. Years later I feel a little bit ashamed to say that I hardly remember  a thing of what this man wrote about. But there is one exception. There was one class that I will never forget. The teacher was telling us about a topic that’s still current, even in the 21^st century, and especially in summer.

It was Seneca who said that a person who needs a rest should not go on a vacation. Indeed, the best way of celebrating one’s vacation is to not go on a long, exhausting trip. He even advised people against going to a place that looked like paradise. No, said Seneca, people who really needed a rest should stay at home and do nothing. No adventures, no safari’s.

Was he right, this philosopher in Classical Antiquity? Yes, I think so, even two thousand years later. It is not something that all those travel agencies want to hear. And of course, I go on a long vacation at least once every year. But on the other hand, everybody knows that if people have a blazing row, it will be during your vacation!

Now, what do I want to say with this Seneca-wisdom?  Not that you should not go on vacation. But, if for some reason you feel not in the mood (or don’t have the money) to travel, just remember that staying at home might give you more of a break than you could ever imagine.