Lucius Annaeus Seneca was born in Cordoba in the Roman province of Hispania, or modern-day Spain, in 4 BCE. His father was an accomplished rhetorician and scholar.

The younger Seneca was enlisted as rhetoric tutor to the emperor Nero. He also ended up writing speeches for Nero and became his closest political advisor.

Seneca tried to teach Nero some ethical lessons from Stoic philosophy in order to moderate Nero’s tendency to corrupt and violent rule.

As a result of his connection to Nero, Seneca gained immense wealth. He was said to be worth 300 million sestertii at a time when the average senator had personal wealth of 5 million. He owned several villas, farm estates and vineyards.

However, Nero was worried that Seneca might become a threat because of his political influence and wealth. So Nero ordered his execution on an apparently trumped up charge of conspiracy. Seneca’s calm at the point of death became famous.

Today, the adjective “philosophical” can mean “calm in the face of adversity”, which is virtually the same as the meaning given to the adjective “stoic”.

The Stoics taught that we should build emotional resilience by preparing ourselves in advance to cope wisely, and dispassionately, with life’s misfortunes.

In later life, Seneca wrote a series of letters to his friend Lucilius, which encapsulate the Stoic philosophy he tried to live by.

In one letter he advises: “It is in times of security that the spirit should be preparing itself to deal with difficult times; while fortune is bestowing favors on it then is the time for it to be strengthened against her rebuffs.”

In another, he explains the Stoic teaching that emotional distress is made worse by our sense of shock or surprise when setbacks happen. We should always consider what might happen ahead of time, he says, imagining “every possibility”, be it exile, torture, disease, or war.