"On Groundless Fears"

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Today's post is one I should have shared earlier. Many years ago, on the advice of a great mentor, I began reading and listening to these short helpful lessons from ancient philosopher Seneca. The reason I share it with you is because the great advice in these letters will be immensely helpful to you.

His letters are a series of simple conversation ‘letters’ offering timeless advice. I’ll share an example here for you to get an idea of it.

I ended up purchasing these as audiobooks, which I would recommend to anyone,

One letter in particular really became my favorite. I eventually typed out Letter 13 in its entirety.

I'll share that with you today as well as the link to download on audible.com.

Here is my favorite letter 13, on groundless fears,. I've read this dozens of times and still quote it in my head consistently.

Also audible.com, which you can get this for free if you are new to the service. Otherwise it is absolutely worth the price. The narrator is great.

On Groundless Fears

I know that you have plenty of Spirit; for even before you began to equip yourself to overcome obstacles, you were taking pride in the contest with Fortune called life; and this is all the truer now that you are testing your powers. For our powers can never inspire in us implicit faith in ourselves except when many difficulties have confronted us. It is only in this way that the true Spirit can be tested, – the Spirit that will never consent to come under the jurisdiction of things external. 

This is the touchstone of such a Spirit; no fighter can go with high spirits into the fight if he has never been beaten black and blue; the only contestant who can confidently enter battle is the man who has seen his own blood, who has felt his teeth rattle beneath his opponent's fist, who has been downed in body but not in spirit, one who, as often as he falls, rises again with greater defiance than ever. 

Fortune may have gotten the upper hand of you in the past, and yet you have not surrendered, but have leaped up and stood your ground still more eagerly. For one gains much strength by being challenged; nevertheless, if you approve, allow me to offer some additional safeguards by which you may fortify yourself.

There are more things likely to frighten us than there are to crush us; we suffer more often in imagination than in reality. What I advise you to do is; don’t be unhappy before the crisis comes; since it may be that the dangers before which you paled as if they were threatening you, will never come upon you. 

Some things torment us more than they should; some torment us before they should; and some torment us when they should not torment us at all. We are in the habit of exaggerating, or imagining, or anticipating, sorrow.

The first of these three faults (exaggerate, imagine, or anticipate) may be forgone right now, because of debate. What I call trifling, you may call most serious; for of course you know that some men laugh while being whipped, and that others wince at a flick on the ear. Later, we can consider whether these evils derive their power from their strength or from our weakness.

When others surround you and try to talk you into believing how you should feel, I urge you to consider not what you hear but what you yourself feel, and to take counsel with your feelings and question yourself independently, because you know your own affairs better than anyone else does. 

We are tormented either by things present, or by things to come, or by both. As to things present, the decision is easy. Suppose that you enjoy freedom and health, and that you do not suffer from any external injury. As to what may happen to you in the future, we will see later on. Today there is nothing wrong with you. 

"But," you say, "something will happen to it." First of all, consider whether your evidence of future troubles are certain. For it is more often the case that we are troubled by our apprehensions and rumour. Many agree too quickly with what other people say. We do not put to the test those things which cause our fear; we do not examine into them; we scare and retreat just like soldiers who are forced to abandon their camp because of a dust-cloud raised by stampeding cattle 

It is the idle report that disturbs us most. For truth has its own definite boundaries, but that which arises from uncertainty is delivered over to guesswork and the irresponsible license of a frightened mind. That is why no fear is so ruinous and so uncontrollable as panic fear. 

The mind at times fashions for itself false shapes of evil when there are no signs that point to any evil; it twists into the worst way some word of doubtful meaning; or it fancies some personal grudge to be more serious than it really is, considering not how angry the enemy is, but to what lengths he may go if he is angry.

It is likely that some troubles will befall us; but it is not a present fact. How often has the unexpected happened! How often has the expected fallen through! And even though it is guaranteed to be, what does it help to run out to meet your suffering? You will suffer soon enough, when it arrives; so look forward meanwhile to better things. 

What shall you gain by doing this? Time without worry. There will be many happenings meanwhile which will serve to postpone, or end, or pass on to another person, the troubles which are near or even in your very presence. A fire that traps may also open the way to escape. Men have been let down softly by a catastrophe. Sometimes the sword has been stopped at the throat. Even bad luck is fickle. Perhaps it will come, perhaps not; in the meantime it is not. So look forward to better things.

If you cannot do this, counter one weakness with another, and counter your fear with hope. There is nothing so certain about fear that it is not more certain still that things we fear sink into nothing and that things we hope for mock us.

Accordingly, weigh carefully your hopes as well as your fears, and whenever all the elements are in doubt, decide in your own favor. And if fear wins a majority of the votes, incline in the other direction anyhow, and cease to harass your soul, reflecting continually that most mortals, even when no troubles are actually at hand or are certainly to be expected in the future, become excited and disquieted. We let ourselves drift with every breeze; frightened at uncertainties, just as if they were certain and the slightest thing turns the scales and throws us forthwith into a panic.

I am writing too much, since you need reminding rather than instruction. The path on which I am sharing with you is not different from that on which your nature leads you. Hence there is all the more reason why you should increase the good that is in you.

But now, to close my letter, remember that terrible luck may work in your favor, and since you never know, consider nothing as bad luck.

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Motivation MondayJoey Dusselphilosophy, senecaComment