“No, it is events that give rise to fear — when another has power over them or can prevent them, that person becomes able to inspire fear. How is the fortress destroyed? Not by iron or fire, but by judgments … here is where we must begin, and it is from this front that we must seize the fortress and throw out the tyrants.”
- Epictetus, Discourses, 4.1.85-86;87a
September 13, 2021 7:00 AM
Ponder everything that is outside our control. Our wealth, status, job, and our health are just a few to name. Stoicism also reminds us that we control our reasoned choices.
Conclusion
Fear has the power to derail a reasoned choice. We can lock up because of fear. We can become irrational. Don't betray the inner fortress that guards our soul.