“Furthermore, the path of virtue is not, as some have believed, rough and difficult, but rather one proceeds along it with sure footing. I do not come to tell you vain things: the path to a happy life is easy.” Seneca, “Of Anger“
Seneca as a Stoic sought happiness as his main objective and to do so he commented that we should approach all pleasant emotions and move away from negative emotions (Posts EMOTIONS AND THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM; THE POWER OF EMOTIONS; AUTOLIBERATION OF NEGATIVE EMOTIONS THROUGH SELF-SUGGESTIONABILITY; – FIGHTING NEGATIVE EMOTIONS WITH THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM, SOLUTION TO PROCRASTINATION).
In the ethical-moral sphere he sought wisdom which should be found by following the steps of Nature, guided by its natural laws. To achieve fullness in life and happiness, one must imitate Nature, with a healthy body and spirit, and this is achieved by living with reason, a human function that should have influence and dominance in the rest of human activities, subjecting itself to (submitting) to the virtues, avoiding distress and maintaining a healthy body.
We said in Post WALKING AND PERIPATHETICS: “On the other hand, in ancient Rome we have Seneca, in the first century of our era, who commented that because of the love he had for letters he had become lazy and This made him neglect his health and his physique, which told him that he should also take care of his body through exercise. He decided for the same reason to start walking while he read, so as not to neglect his devotion, since in this way, in addition to eliminating his laziness, it was good for his health.”
He considered reading to be the most important of his needs to satisfy, since it fed his spirit, but he should not only limit himself to reading, but should complement it with writing; he recommended that they be combined alternately: what is collected from the reading is used in the composition. He recommended that man must ingest all kinds of knowledge and concepts to process them and make them tend to new ideas.
Seneca practiced walks, reading, meditating, lecturing or explaining some ideas. During those philosophical walks, Seneca used to harangue that nothing can be controlled, nothing of external things; we can only have control of ourselves, of our body. That is why he recommended walking every day to hear the physical body say what he did not want to hear from others. Paraphrasing the Senequista exhortations, we could recommend – what we should ask ourselves at the end of each day – the following 3 questions: 1) Have I walked today? 2) How much more could I have walked?, and 3) What thoughts did I have and what other activities I did while walking.
I have extracted these notes from one of Seneca’s letters to Lucilo, titled “On Reading and Writing”; However, I would like to be a little more emphatic and profound in the interpretation of this letter, considering the philosophical thought, in general, of Seneca, with the sole purpose of convincing my readers of the importance of the WALK-RWD system that Seneca himself transmits it. Below I explain the relationship between his thinking and the WALK-RWD system.
Seneca points out 3 fundamental activities that are deeply connected to the WALK-RWD system covered for 6 years through the blog “WALKREADANDWRITE.COM.” Seneca, a Stoic philosopher who sought balance in all facets of life, offers a reflection on three of his essential activities: walking, reading and writing. Each of them not only has intrinsic value, but also serves to correct, complement and nourish the other two. In the context of the Blog, the dynamic interaction between walking, reading and writing, as well as drawing, is promoted, and this letter has a particular resonance.
Walking: An antidote to laziness and food for the body
Seneca begins by pointing out how walking has helped him combat laziness and improve his physical health. This notion is a philosophical confirmation of what has already been highlighted in the Blog: walking is not only a physical act, but a tool that allows you to clear the mind, release tension and revitalize the body. At a time when sedentary living dominated academics and philosophers, Seneca emphasized the need for movement as part of a healthy balance between body and mind. Walking as a way of life has been promoted in the WALK-RWD system, and this philosophical emphasis adds a layer of depth to the simple act of walking. It is not just a means of transportation or physical exercise; It is a way to activate the body to activate the mind.
Read: A window to dialogue and intellectual rest
When Seneca talks about reading, he highlights two important functions: on the one hand, it protects us from intellectual arrogance, reminding us that we are not the only ones or the first to think of certain ideas. This, according to him, introduces us to a continuous dialogue with other thinkers, allowing our mind to evolve through what has already been thought and discovered. In the Blog, where I have highlighted the value of reading in a thousand ways, Seneca’s reflection takes on special relevance. Reading is an act of intellectual humility, an opportunity to listen to other voices, incorporate their ideas and adapt them to your own.
Furthermore, Seneca adds that reading offers a necessary break from “true study.” Here he introduces an interesting distinction: reading is not the same as studying, just as walking is not simply physical exercise. Reading is an activity that nourishes us, it allows us to enjoy other people’s thoughts, but without the weight of active creation that writing or composing entails. For those who make reading a fundamental pillar, this distinction emphasizes that reading is not only preparation for writing, but also a space for mental recreation, intellectual relaxation, which prevents creative exhaustion.
Writing: An exercise that condenses and channels knowledge
Finally, Seneca suggests that writing should not be an isolated exercise, but rather the result of the synthesis of what reading has left us. What we have absorbed, we use in writing. Writing for Seneca is an act of creation, but it is also a process of distillation of previously collected ideas. This reinforces the notion that reading and writing are not opposites, but complementary activities. Reading dissolves, writing condenses. Reading expands, writing organizes. In the WALK-RWD system, where both activities are fundamental, it is suggested – like Seneca – that one cannot exist without the other, if a balanced creative process is sought. Reading nourishes and diversifies ideas, but writing concretizes them and gives them shape.
The relationship between the three activities: Walking, Reading and Writing
What is most interesting in this letter is how Seneca weaves together the three activities—walking, reading, and writing—as parts of an indivisible whole that benefits both the body and the mind. Walking, in its function of clearing the mind and activating the body, seems to generate a space conducive to reflection and, therefore, to the act of reading and writing. In the blog and in the WALK-RWD system, where these three activities are already part of the same scheme, this reflection by Seneca emphasizes that true intellectual and physical balance is achieved when none of these three activities is isolated. Walking facilitates the reflection that is nourished by reading, and this, in turn, is condensed and finds its culmination in writing.
Seneca warns of the dangers of limiting oneself to a single activity: writing alone exhausts one’s strength; just reading dissolves the mind. Therefore, both must be alternated, and this is where walking comes in as a third corrective element. In the WALK-RWD system, where the fusion of these three practices, plus drawing, is promoted, it seems that the central idea of Seneca’s thesis is prefigured: walking activates the body and mind; reading introduces new ideas and points of view; and writing crystallizes those thoughts into something more concrete and personal.
Final reflection
Seneca’s letter offers philosophical guidance that fits perfectly with the mission of the WALK-RWD system. By reflecting on the interconnection between walking, reading and writing, we find a stoic balance between body and mind, an integration of human activities that prevents overload in any area and encourages a healthier creative and reflective process. For those who can follow the guidelines that I recommend in my Blog WALKREADANDWRITE.COM and the fundamental principles of the ALK-RWD system, this letter from Seneca serves as a reminder that true intellectual and physical development is not achieved by exclusive dedication to a single activity, but with the harmonious alternation between body, mind and spirit.
Let’s imitate Seneca, starting to read and write, while we walk, and if possible, drawing some images that come to mind, while we enjoy a walk in the open air.
(1)Loya Lopategui, Carlos, WALK-RWD System, EMULISA, Mexico, 2022. Available on Amazon, Kindle Edition: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4B9TP26