Why you can’t escape your thoughts — letter 28
In this publication I translate the Moral letters to Lucilius by Seneca into modern English. In letter 28 Seneca describes no matter how much you travel, you won’t be able to escape your thoughts.
… no matter how far you go your thoughts will always travel with you
Lots of people travel to shake off gloomy thoughts. But you’ll find that no matter how far you go your thoughts will always travel with you. So even though you may see different lands and see different cities and people you’ll still be yourself. You can’t escape what’s running through your mind.
Life could be so much better for many people, if they would just spot their negative thinking habits and replace them with positive ones.
Negative thinking, in all its many-splendored forms, has a way of creeping into conversations and our thinking without our noticing them. The key to success, in my humble opinion, is learning to spot these thoughts and squash them like little bugs. Then replace them with positive ones. You’ll notice a huge difference in everything you do.
The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful.
Detach from your thoughts
What you need to do is to try to take a detached view of your thoughts. Then by using reason you can distinguish truth from fallacy. Remember though that your senses receive lots of inputs. You try to make sense of these and they leave an impression in the imagination (phantasia). Use your mind to judge (synkatathesis), to approve or reject the impression. This will allow you to distinguish a true representation of reality from one that is false. You can assent to some impressions immediately. To others give a degree of hesitant approval. Label it a belief or opinion (doxa). It is only through reason that we achieve clear comprehension and conviction (katalepsis).
Once you do manage to think in a more helpful way, then you’ll begin to enjoy the real reason for travelling. The change of scenery, no matter if it’s not all wonderful, will seem hospitable. And once you think in a helpful way then you may decide not to travel as much, exchanging one place for another. Once you master your thoughts then you can live contentedly anywhere.
Finally, I’ll remind you that even when you’re in a crowd full of people you can find moments of quiet. But if you have the opportunity to make your own arrangements then you should seek solitude. Some places (and people) are not optimal for a healthy mind.
Take care.
Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash
