 In a letter to his friend Lucilius, Seneca gives some advice on overcoming adversity. He tells him, hold fast to this thought and grip it close. Yield not to adversity. Trust not to prosperity. Keep before your eyes the full scope of fortune's power, as if she would surely do whatever is in her power to do. That which has been long expected, comes more gently. From our perspective, life is roughly a series of events which carry with them varying degrees of uncertainty, and while certain things which are sure to benefit us in certain ways are more joyfully received when not known prior, such as the opening of a gift on our birthday, this is not typically the case. That same uncertainty which previously induced excitement now brings with it anxiety, depression, and at times even hopelessness. In our everyday life, certainty is generally something which humans seek and find comforting. I think it more often than not that things such as the assurance of our finances, the health of loved ones, and our own general well-being are all important aspects of our lives which we would prefer certainty. We wish for uncertainty only when that which is set is favorable. When unfavorable, we wish for a more certain prediction so that perhaps we can alter our fortune. But as we all well know, this is a utopian ideal, and fortune is what it is. It does not bend according to our will, and will not reverse course because of our self-importance. It comes in varying forms. One day we get a raise at work, the next that same raise contributes to the bankruptcy of the company by which we're employed. In the passage stated prior, Seneca is telling Lucilius that fortune rears both its heads to us all, and that the wise man, when experiencing its favorable side, should direct his mind towards this thought, that no man has ever been so far advanced by fortune, that she did not threaten him as greatly as she had previously indulged him. I think much of what Seneca is telling his friend is timeless, and when the world seems to be placed precariously atop an active volcano, we can take strength by understanding that fortune favors no individual, and even bad fortune is fickle. Perhaps it will come, perhaps not. In the meantime, it is not, so look forward to better things. This is of course a difficult task, but can be done. The uncertainty of fortune is just that, and while during high times we may prepare for those that are low, we need not treat them as a foregone conclusion. Even those things which are certain, such as our eventual and inevitable death, do not typically make us unhappy today, because they will certainly happen sometime in the future. I am convinced that if the inevitability of death, and the uncertainty of its date, does not make us unhappy in the present, then other things which are far less serious and far less certain to pass, need not as well. What I advise you to do is not to be unhappy before the crisis comes, since it may be that the dangers before which you pale as if they were threatening you will never come upon you. It is true that Seneca was the second wealthiest man in Rome for a time, but what is also true is that he went to his unjust death by the capricious hand of Nero, without fear and with a Socratic calm. I will place a few chapters of Seneca's letters from a Stoic on screen, and I hope that you will give them a read. I know that I've taken much from them, and am confident that you will find something there as well. As always, thank you for talking philosophy with me. Until next time.