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December    24th

MEANINGLESS .   .   .   LIKE    A   FINE    WINE

“You    know    what    wine    and liqueur tastes  like.   It  makes   no  difference  whether a   hundred or  a

thousand    bottles pass    through your    bladder—you are nothing more    than    a   filter.”

—SENECA,    MORAL   LETTERS,    77.16

ere we have another contemptuous expression, this time from Seneca, who, given his reputation for
opulence, probably enjoyed a nice drink from time to time. His point will probably rattle anyone for
whom success and adulthood has turned them into a wine snob (though the logic can be applied just as
easily to foodies, techies, audiophiles, and the like).
As fun and exciting and pleasurable as these pleasures are, it’s worth putting them in their place. You
don’t get a prize at the end of your life for having consumed more, worked more, spent more, collected
more, or learned more about the various vintages than everyone else. You are just a conduit, a vessel that
temporarily held or interacted with these fancy items.
If you find yourself lusting over them, this meditation might help reduce their luster just a smidge.