"Being unexpected adds to the weight of a disaster, for being a surprise has never failed to increase a person's pain. For that reason, nothing should ever be unexpected by us. Our minds should be sent out in advance to all things, and we shouldn't just consider the normal course of things, but what could actually happen. For is there anything in life that Fortune won't knock off its high horse if it pleases her?"
~ Seneca, Moral Letters, 91.3a-4
The principle here is what Stoics are calling praemeditatio malorum - the mental rehearsal of apparent evils in advance, in order to be prepared should they arrive. Of course, it is the Stoic position that these apparent evils are not evils at all - only our own reasoned choice can ever be that - but they give the impression of harm, and acceptance of that impression is hard to resist, at first.
No comments:
Post a Comment