Welcome to another episode of the Daily Stoic podcast.

On Thursdays, we do double duty, not just reading our daily meditation, but also reading

a passage from the book, The Daily Stoic, 366 meditations on wisdom, perseverance, and

the art of living, which I wrote with my wonderful co-author and collaborator, Stephen Hanselman.

And so today, we'll give you a quick meditation from one of the Stoics, from Epipetus Mark

Srelyas, Seneca, then some analysis for me, and then we send you out into the world to

do your best to turn these words into works.

You're listening ad-free on Wondery Plus.

In one of his letters, Seneca tells us of an old Roman pleasantry that friends would exchange

when greeting each other.

If you are well, one would say after inquiring how someone was, it is well and I am also well.

It's a nice little custom, isn't it?

If you're good, I'm good, and everything is good.

Nothing else matters.

But of course, because this was Seneca, he couldn't just leave it there.

In fact, telling us about this old expression was just a device to make a point.

A better way to say it, he writes, is, if you are studying philosophy, it is well.

For this is just what being well means.

Without philosophy, the mind is sickly in the body too, though it may be very powerful,

is strong only as that of a madman or a lunatic is strong.

The point is that to the Stoics, the practice and study of philosophy was the only way to

make sure all was well, no matter what was happening in the world.

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