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We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.

Seneca, Letters to Lucilius, 13

Philosophy

The story behind the card

Seneca (c. 4 BC–AD 65) was a Roman Stoic philosopher and for years an adviser to the emperor Nero. In his last years, after withdrawing from court, he wrote 124 surviving letters of advice to his friend Lucilius. Letter 13 is about fear: more things frighten us than actually harm us, he says, and we suffer in advance over troubles that may never come. His remedy is to ask whether a harm is real and present or only possible, and not to be unhappy before the time comes.

Türkçe oku
Hayalimizde, gerçekte olduğundan daha sık acı çekeriz.
Seneca, Lucilius'a Mektuplar, 13

Romalı Stoacı filozof Seneca (yak. MÖ 4–MS 65), yıllarca imparator Neron'un danışmanlığını yaptı. Son yıllarında saraydan çekilince dostu Lucilius'a öğütlerle dolu mektuplar yazdı; bunlardan 124'ü günümüze ulaştı. 13. mektup korku üzerinedir: Seneca'ya göre bizi korkutan şeyler, bize gerçekten zarar verenlerden çoktur; belki hiç gelmeyecek dertler için önceden acı çekeriz. Önerdiği çare, korkulan şeyin gerçekten şu anda mı olduğunu, yoksa yalnızca olası mı olduğunu sormak ve vakti gelmeden mutsuz olmamaktır.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Seneca the Younger
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