Seneca, On Peace of Mind 11.5

Ought I to be surprised if the dangers that have always been circling around me at last assail me? How large a part of mankind never think of storms when about to set sail?

I shall never be ashamed to quote a good saying because it comes from a bad author. Publilius, who was a more powerful writer than any of our other playwrights, whether comic or tragic, whenever he chose to rise above farcical absurdities and speeches addressed to the gallery, among many other verses too noble even for tragedy, let alone for comedy, has this one :

“What one hath suffered may befall us all."

I grew up with a certain myth, and though it is far less popular now with the younger generations, there are still many who believe every word of it.

It tells the story of those who were smart, dedicated, and industrious, and how they won security and prosperity for themselves through all their hard work. The dull, timid, and lazy, in contrast, all faded into obscurity and insignificance. All’s well that ends well.

It’s a fine tale on one level, since it encourages so many excellent qualities, and discourages so many harmful ones. Still, I can’t help but think how misleading it might also be, since it not only points to all the wrong goals, but it also makes promises it most certainly can’t keep.

Should becoming rich and popular really be what I want? Am I so sure that my diligence will even provide me with such supposed rewards?

For every case of someone who has found worldly success by keeping his nose to the grindstone, there is another case of someone who has dared to try and lost everything. We will hear the former stories because they make for good copy, but not so much the latter because they burst the bubble. What seemed like a sure investment turned out to be more like playing the lottery.

Quite sadly, this makes people cynical and resentful, as if happiness is quite impossible, when the better path may have been not to seek satisfaction in unreliable things to begin with.

Why, when I look at the misfortune of my neighbor, who has struggled just as much as I have, do I somehow assume that his suffering could never possibly fall on me? Do I actually think that I am more worthy, or am I failing to connect the variability of his circumstances with my own?

I have now seen enough recessions, wars, and natural disasters to recognize the same speeches they give us, that if we only put our minds to it, we will all come out stronger than we ever were. Then I wonder about those who we’ve already lost, and those who will still be lost in the process.

Did they really mean all of us, or just some of us?

Why would I think that Providence will treat me differently from anyone else?

Written in 11/2011