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WHO WAS SENECA?

Lucius Seneca was a Roman philosopher, writer, orator, and statesman during the 1st century AD. As the appointed tutor of the young Roman Emperor, Nero, Seneca possessed enormous power during the early years of his reign.

But as Nero aged, his behavior became increasingly erratic and cruel. And though there was little evidence for the charge, Seneca was accused of plotting Nero’s assassination.

An officer of Nero’s court was sent to demand Seneca’s suicide. So Seneca’s life ended just shy of 70 years. But he left behind a large volume of work, and historians recognize him as a leading thinker in the 1st century Roman world.

EVERY QUOTATION HAS A CONTEXT Before we examine Seneca’s quote, we should remind ourselves that every quotation has a context. Quotations are not intended to tell the entire story. They’re meant to focus our attention on a particular truth that exists within a particular context.

Seneca was not arguing that there’s never a life in which dangers aren’t more numerous than fears. Those who live under oppressive political systems find their fears numerous if not constant. Some people languish in prisons where abuse and cruelty are the order of the day.

But such lives are exceptions to Seneca’s observation. Such lives are not normative.

We should understand the truth of the quotation as limited to a normative context. In other words, most of us will find that our fears are always more numerous than our dangers.

That what we fear might happen usually doesn’t happen at all. That what we’re afraid of can be confronted, tamed, and defeated. That our fears are often more to blame for our problems than our problems themselves.

BALANCE IS KEY What we need is a healthy balance when it comes to fear. An unhealthy imbalance will not serve us at all. Let’s begin with a clear understanding of what fear actually is. A definition will set us on the right path.

Fear is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger,
evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined.

Fear is one of our most primal emotions. Everybody has fear. It’s universal among cultures in all places at all times.

And though we often dread fear, and see fear as our mortal enemy…we should not assess fear that way. Fear is actually our friend—not our foe. Fear is a warning to help us prepare for what lies ahead.

Fear is like a sign on the highway that says bridge out ahead. We read the sign and we instantly have a fearful response to the information.

But the fear need not linger. Once we accept and respond to the information, the sign and the fear have served their purpose.

The sign is a warning that there’s danger ahead and that we should take action to avoid the peril. We can ignore the sign, curse the sign, or even tear down the sign.

But the sign only functions as a warning to us. The sign exists for our benefit—not for our harm. The sign that generates fear in us is not our enemy, but our friend.

We should see fear the same way. As our warning system. As our friend, not our foe. As our advocate, not our adversary.

TWO KINDS OF FEAR As we journey through life, we’ll need to be aware of two kinds of fears.

Real fear—Fear that we should have False fear—Fear that we should not have Some fears are rational, and we should have them. Fear when crossing a busy highway on foot. Fear when driving a car on an icy road.

Fear that we might get fired from our job for inadequate performance. Fear that our health is going to decline if we continue to practice unhealthy lifestyle patterns.

Fear that our relationship will go south if we don’t nurture it.

These are legitimate fears because they’re not only common—they’re rational.

The more insidious kinds of fears are those that are not rational.

Fear that we’re going to be fired from our job when we know our performance is excellent. Fear that we’re going to have to drive on an icy road when there’s no prediction for cold weather and it’s late May.

Fear that we’re going to come down with a fatal disease when we’re in good health. Fear that a tree is going to fall on our house during a storm when there aren’t any trees near our house.

Fear that someone is going to dislike us before we’ve even met them. Fear that we’re never going to recover from an illness.

Fear that the worst case scenario is going to occur when there’s little evidence for it.

For example, if there really is a bridge out on the road we’re traveling, the sign warning us is extremely useful. It may help us avoid injury, property damage—even death.

Our fear in that case would be helpful. We’d read the sign, experience the fear, recognize the danger, slow down, and look for a place to turn around and change our route.

But suppose some jokester put up the sign as a prank? Suppose there’s actually no bridge out at all? Then we would be fearful for no reason. We’d exercise caution for nothing.

We might even change our route and adversely affect our journey. All for what was merely a perception—and nothing that should have actually generated fear at all.

Now imagine a life that’s characterized by a regular pattern of fears that are merely perceptions. When there’s really nothing rational to fear at all. There’s no bridge out. There’s no real danger. There’s nothing ominous ahead—except what’s in our own mind.

CONCLUSION As we journey through life, fear will be our common companion. There will always be things in life that will generate some fear in us. This is not only a normal part of life, it’s a valuable component of life.

Fear is our warning system. Whether it’s an external warning or an internal warning—they both have the same function—to prepare us for what lies ahead.

Seneca knew that many of our fears are not sensible. They have no real basis for believing. They’re merely perceptions that are not backed by reality at all.

They don’t require adjustment. They require a little talk to ourselves where we explain that these fears are not grounded. That it’s just our mind playing a trick on us.

Here’s a primer on what to do when you experience fear.

Acknowledge the fear. Don’t deny, ignore, or run from the fear. Confront the fear. Assess the reality of the fear. Is the fear rational or irrational? What is the fear warning me about? How can I prepare for the challenge in the warning? Don’t run from the challenge, accept it and embrace it. Never run away from the fear—always confront it. If you run from the fear, it will simply track you down. If the fear doesn’t go away, it may because you haven’t dealt with the warning. It may be because you haven’t prepared for what’s coming.

Or it may be because you’re hanging on to a fear that’s only a perception. It’s not something that you should fear. When the danger is only in your mind. A fear that’s only a perception and not a warning of real danger.

In that case, have a little talk with yourself. Remember from your childhood that when you turned on the light, the bogeyman was gone. The goblin vanished under the harsh reality of the light. In fact, they were never actually there in the first place.

They existed only in your mind.

When fear points to real danger—heed the warning and take appropriate remedial action. When fear points to only perceived danger—dismiss the fear as unfounded and irrational.

Never ignore fear. Respond to it appropriately. Ignoring fear or avoiding fear will only give it greater strength and more life.

Fear cannot endure confrontation. It will yield. Learn to confront your fears. Practice will make you better. Remember:

Our fears are always more numerous than our dangers.

Credit: SAMUEL RODENHIZER quotationcelebration(dot)wordpress(dot)com