Cicero on old age summary. Cicero's thoughts on old age and "What Old Age Really Is" Dovey's contribution 2022-11-16
Cicero on old age summary Rating:
5,3/10
1916
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Cicero was a Roman philosopher and statesman who lived from 106 to 43 BCE. In his work "On Old Age," Cicero reflects on the challenges and rewards of growing old.
One of Cicero's central arguments is that old age is not to be feared, but rather embraced as a natural and valuable stage of life. He points out that old age brings with it a wealth of experience and wisdom, and that the elderly have much to offer to society. In contrast to the youth, who are often driven by ambition and a desire for material gain, Cicero argues that the elderly have a sense of perspective and balance that comes with having lived a long life.
Despite this, Cicero acknowledges that old age can also be accompanied by physical decline and the loss of loved ones. He advises those in old age to find solace in their accomplishments and the relationships they have built over the years. He also encourages the elderly to continue learning and growing, as he believes that mental activity can help to keep the mind sharp.
Overall, Cicero's view of old age is one of acceptance and gratitude. He encourages the elderly to make the most of their remaining years and to find joy in their experiences and relationships. In doing so, he argues, they can live a fulfilling and meaningful life even in the face of the challenges that old age brings.
A Geriatrician Reviews Cicero’s “On Old Age”
Were they more numerous, and at the same time worthy to retain the confidence of their fellow-men, the young would lack the exercise and discipline of their powers which alone could fit them for an honorable and useful old age. The younger people are out busy working, raising families. The Fires of Vesuvius: Pompeii Lost and Found. De Senectute ends with an argument for the immortality of the soul, but Christians, I think, will find this argument wanting. Perhaps they no longer require more strength, unlike the youths who are in their active period.
Individuals who were well nourished and lived in peaceful societies had a decent chance to live into their 70s and 80s just as today. Old age can be a good part of life — You can live well in old age if you are wise. He has his place in history as the most able and successful military commander of his age. The women absolutely mobbed the Senators, imploring the repeal of restrictions no longer needed. Modern Political Thought: Readings from Machiavelli to Nietzsche.
. Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Orator. The hard work of being ready takes place out of the spotlight where we develop those skills that will serve us well when we grow old. Cicero: A sketch of his life and works. You write there are 10 valuable lessons to be learned from Cicero's book. What, then, shall I fear, if after death I am destined to be either not unhappy or happy? Cicero and the Roman Republic. Philippics, The Vengeance of Fulvia by Francisco Maura y Montaner, 1888 depicting Fulvia inspecting the severed head of Cicero Cicero supported Gallia Cisalpina and urged the Senate to name Antony an enemy of the state.
In the end they cut off his hands and head for display in the Roman Forum. Through Cato, Cicero defines four reasons why old age appears to be unhappy: 1 It withdraws us from active pursuits; 2 It makes the body weaker; 3 It deprives us of physical pleasures; and 4 It is not far removed from death. Yet his literary culture must have been of a high order. Even as I write this, I am reminded of an eighty-six-year-old man who still works as a teacher and school administrator. In the outward universe there is an infinity of beauty and of loveliness. He was during his lifetime prosecuted before the tribunals forty-four times, and failed of successful defence but once.
But as regards the kindly, the aesthetic, and the spiritual traits that make this work so very charming, its Cato is a mythical creation, utterly unlike the coarse, hard, stern, crabbed ex-Censor, who was guiltless equally of taste and of sentiment. His whole life must have been coarse, in many aspects even brutal, and the aesthetic faculty seems to have been entirely wanting in him. This depicts that life is a transition, with different capabilities at every stage. The leisure-hour occupations of hunting, and the cultivation of pigs, goats, chickens, milk, cheese and honey can still be enjoyed in old age. He says: 'Cultivate your own garden. Caius Laelius Sapiens, of a distinguished patrician family, was born in Rome, B. Indeed, I can discover no reason for his adherence to the New Academy, except the liberty which it left to its disciples to doubt its own dogmas, and to acknowledge a certain measure of probability in the dogmas of other schools.
True, their office is, for the most part, that of brakemen; but on a roadway never smooth, and passing over frequent declivities, this duty often demands more strength and skill than are required to light the fires and run the engine. Instead we can enjoy congenial company and conversation over a simple meal. He was a man of large and varied erudition, was well versed in philosophy, and as a pupil of Diogenes of Babylon, and then of Panaetius, was among the earliest Roman disciples of the Stoic school. Epicurus takes to connoisseuring from the philosophical punch the many schools of philosophy and testing their wisdom. He was born in the same year with Laelius.
We need reason and prudence, and if we continue to develop the virtues associated with them, those attributes mature and bear much fruit. Before writing this article I had to decide whether to use the old James S. So, he was considered certainly senior, but not incredibly old. On Old Age is a work on ethics. Cicero's exile caused him to fall into depression. People can be so foolish and inconsistent.
You need to cultivate that positive attitude from the start and carry it with you, because people's personalities generally don't change that much when they reach 60 or 70. He grows strong, cheerful, and hopeful as he writes, and in coming times of distress and peril he unrolls this little volume for his own support and consolation. In this office he renounced the wonted pomp of his predecessors, walked on his circuits, cut down to the lowest point all public expenses, waged war against usury, and visited usurers with condign punishment. Should we be distracted by what is merely sexy and trendy, we may find we have become irrelevant when the cultural winds change. He was one of the most influential writers in the history of western civilization. Why We're All Romans: The Roman Contribution to the Western World. Because in my mind, I have dark hair and I'm brushing it out of my eyes like I did when I was younger.
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