Seneca series continues. What should be our attitude about friends?
Here a big focus is how Epicureans and Stoics differ on this topic.
They both agree — you want friends. They are a pleasure and an objectively good thing like beautiful objects or true knowledge. You want it.
But they differ on whether you should feel anything. The Stoic would feel disappointment about losing a friend, but be OK with it. It is probably a truer description of human psychology that you would feel something.
Seneca thinks you have to set up your values so you don’t lack something when you lose a friend but you take great pleasure in having a friend. Like having fun — you love having fun but you don’t weep when you didn’t have a particular rollicking occasion.
Instrumental friends — you don’t want em. Avoid. Make friends because friendship is great.
Super duper true in the roller coaster of startup life. You will have a lot of new friends when you announce the Series A.
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius/Letter_9