Seneca, the dear old Stoic, believed that desire was the root of all misery?

Question

He therefore got rid of all of his possessions. Wasn't that a sure fire way to end up wanting something?

Answer 1

I looked up Seneca and it seems he lived from 3B.C. to 65 A.D. which is relatively recent in terms of older thinking. There is a theory of Karma (in effect the law of cause and effect) in Indian philosophy which goes like this: None of your desires are ever refused.....you live to attain all (or atleast most of them) but to do so you go on multiplying your number of births.
Hence there is an aphorism (or saying): "Cut desire, cut desire, even if it is towards God, cut desire..." Obviously whether Buddhistic or Jainistic influence on these thoughts are there I am not sure.
Desire multiplies the number of births and the more you live the more the desires become so it goes on feeding on itself. The ultimate triumph would be to be completely satisfied with what you have, or what you are and with what you experience and that will start the beginning of the liberty of the soul.

Answer 2

How do you feel when you don't have what you want? How do you feel when you can't have what you want? Desire is certainly a way to make the self feel unhappy. How do you feel when have what you want? Most people lose interest in the object and then move onto the next want.

The issue is in the pursuit of happiness rather than the experience of happiness which is transitory.

Answer 3

I'm afraid it's just another paradox - A desire to be free of desires.. Let's not go there.

Answer 4

I believe that the root of all misery is exploitation of human beings by human beings.

Answer 5

Yes, I believe he spent the rest of his days craving Dairy Milk

Answer 6

Unless he gave away precisely all those things that he not only no longer desired, but also no longer needed.

Answer 7

maybe his desires were more spiritual than material