Seneca was accused in 65 AD of joining the Pisonian conspiracy, which had unsuccessfully plotted the murder of Seneca was accused in 65 AD of joining the Pisonian conspiracy, which had unsuccessfully plotted the murder of Emperor Nero. He was put to death for this — in a round-about way. Nero ordered Seneca to commit suicide. Which he did, to prove he had not plotted a murder or joined any such conspiracy. Thus the man who loved wisdom was killed by the man who loved power. The more things change the more things stay the same.
Insecure and paranoid governments can’t stand deep thinkers who may have the wherewithal to discover and point out the state’s fundamental flaws. As my namesake put it: “No totalitarian government can tolerate a people who have a standard by which to judge the state.” This insecurity causes the people who are the system to imagine subversion hiding in every shadow, and a plot around every corner, until eventually they compulsively lash out and accuse innocent people of fantastical conspiracies and murder plots.
So here I sit. Alone, but in the company of Seneca. Time will eventually vindicate me the same way it vindicated Seneca. After all, the truth ages well.
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