Welcome to Stoic Snippets,
The philosophy track that is short in length but not in depth.
Cease to hope and you will cease to fear.
An unusual take on hope,
I confess.
We often think of hope being this all-encompassing good thing that allows for people to hold on while they get themselves through a tough time.
But Seneca disagrees,
And so does Hercator,
The author of that opening quote.
Seneca explains how hope and fear are different,
But inexorably linked by their reliance on the ghost of the future.
He explains how,
Like a prisoner being escorted by a prison guard,
They are chained together,
Different as they are,
But they occupy the same environment and even keep the same pace.
Seneca writes,
Both belong to a mind in suspense,
To a mind in a state of anxiety,
Through looking into the future.
Both are mainly due to projecting our thoughts far ahead of us instead of adapting ourselves to the present.
Thus,
It is that foresight,
The greatest blessing humanity has been given,
Is transformed into a curse.
Wild animals run from dangers they actually see,
And once they have escaped them,
Worry no more.
We,
However,
Are tormented alike by what is in the past and what is to come.
A number of our blessings do us harm,
For memory brings back the agony of fear,
While foresight brings it on prematurely.
No one confines their happiness to the present.
You see,
As good as hope is,
It takes us out of the present.
The next problem is that hope can build us a future that we become reliant on.
How many times have you thought,
I'll be happy when.
.
.
Fill in the blank.
I have a new job,
A new car,
A new wife,
A new holiday.
However we imagine any of those things,
They will never be the same in reality.
Our fantasies are destined to disappoint us.
In his book,
J.
B.
Stockdale tells the story of being in a prisoner of war camp.
While he is in there,
He notices the differences in how prisoners dealt with their situation.
He noted how the hopeful optimists suffered the most and perished first.
Their broken dreams of the future broke their hearts and then their spirits.
Stockdale instead said the trick was to confront the brutal truth of reality and make the most of it,
While having the confidence that you will prevail in the end,
Whenever that may be.
And this is the last part of hope I want to speak on.
Hope can make us a victim.
When we hope for things,
We imagine that things will be given on to us and that they will solve our problems.
How many times have you hoped to win the lottery,
Or that it will be sunny on the weekend,
Or you won't get that speeding fine.
The optimistic prisoner Stockdale spoke of hoped that they would be out by Christmas,
Then Easter,
Then Thanksgiving.
And when they weren't,
Well then they broke.
Believe in your ability to deal with whatever situation the world hands you,
Not hope that the world will give you handouts.
Your hope should be bonuses to your existence,
Not the backbone of your happiness.
Live in the present and make the most of your lot before having to visit the future to sustain you.
If we cannot do that,
Then soon we will become prisoners of the future,
Not participants.
If you want to learn more about Stoicism,
I've got a new course out,
Seven Days of Stoic Strength.
I think you're gonna love it.
See you in there.
