Completing your work
One-minute meditation
I invite you to take a few deep breaths as you choose your preferred music below, enjoy the stunning natural scenery, and reflect on the following words of wisdom from Seneca:
Meditative flute
Uplifting classical
Phidias makes a statue. The reward from his art is one thing; the reward from his work of art is something else. Having done what he aimed to do is the reward from his art; having done so with profit is the reward from the work of art. Even if Phidias has not sold his work, he has completed it.
Seneca, On Benefits, 33.2
Music credit: Monosolomono and Sonican on Pixabay
Photo credit: Johannes Beilharz on Unsplash
This is from "On Benefits", book 2.33.2. In that section of the book Seneca is making the point that the type of obligation which consists in doing something good for someone (benefitting that someone) can only be called complete if the person receiving the benefit is grateful for it. He is not making a general point about the importance of completing our work.