“To bear trials with a calm mind
SENECA, HERCULES OETAEUS, 231-232
robs misfortune of its strength and burden.”
Misfortune will come, make no mistake about that. And when it comes, there’s only one way to weather the storm without being overwhelmed — greet it with a calm mind.
When the trials and tribulations of life threaten to swallow you whole, the only remedy you have is the calmness of your reasoned choice. Panic and overreaction certainly aren’t going to help. The best you can do is to try to bring a sense of peace and perspective as you face your misfortune. In that way, you can de-fang your bad luck.
How to gain this impossible calm, when staring down a frightening future? You can ensure that you aren’t caught off guard by misfortune, by preparing for the worst when times are good, and steeling our minds against the worst case scenario.
We can sort of pre-process terrible events in our minds, before they happen, so that they don’t devour us whole when they happen. A certain amount of carefulness is needed when doing this of course, to ensure you don’t fall into the abyss of worry, but still — a little bit of meditation in advance on the hard things that will eventually come your way can help to protect you from overreaction later.
Overall though, remember that you can rob your bad luck of its bite if you simply keep a calm mind when it happens.
