>Are you surprised, as if it were a novelty, that after such long travel and so many changes of scene you have not been able to shake off the gloom and heaviness of your mind? You need a change of soul rather than a change of climate. Though you may cross vast spaces of sea, and though, as our Vergil remarks,
>Lands and cities are left astern,
>your faults will follow you whithersoever you travel. Socrates made the same remark to one who complained; he said: "Why do you wonder that globe-trotting does not help you, seeing that you always take yourself with you? The reason which set you wandering is ever at your heels." What pleasure is there in seeing new lands? Or in surveying cities and spots of interest? All your bustle is useless. Do you ask why such flight does not help you? It is because you flee along with yourself. You must lay aside the burdens of the mind; until you do this, no place will satisfy you.
- Seneca, Epistulae Morales
do you agree?
I've always found that traveling made me forget my worries and i always feel better about myself when i'm on the road. once i get home it all comes back though and i find myself longing for the next trip, so maybe he is right....
>>1266663
Travelling's usually not a solution to your problems, especially if you're going to return home to them, but it's still worthwhile. He's making a vague, sweeping statement which cannot possibly apply to everyone.
also Seneca was exiled, maybe that contributed to a more pessimistic attitude towards 'seeing new lands'
>>1266677
>also Seneca was exiled, maybe that contributed to a more pessimistic attitude towards 'seeing new lands'
Yeah the guy's just butthurt.
You shouldn't travel to solve problems, but to use the experiences and people as a leverage to find who you are, why you are who you are, and perhaps to what and how you can change who you are.
Or you just travel and have a nice time, enjoying it for what it is: experiences and a change of pace from daily life