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How not be bullied ?

What frightens your body ?

Be wise & shun those who might hurt you, You must not seen to be avoiding them; as what one avoids, one condemns; When we choose not to stamp others down, we let them think that they can stomp us.

The wise ones regard reason for all their actions, though not the results; The beginning is in our own power; fortune decides the issue.

On Reasons for Withdrawing from the World

I confess that we all have an inborn affection for our body; I confess that we are entrusted with its guardianship.

I do not maintain that the body is not to be indulged at all; though I maintain that we must not be slaves to it; One will have many rulers who makes their body it’s ruler, who is over-fearful on its behalf, who judges everything according to the body.

We should conduct ourselves not as if we ought to live for the body, but as if we could not live without it; Our great love for it makes us restless with fears, burdens us with cares, & exposes us to insults.

Virtue is held too cheap by those who counts their body too dear; We should cherish the body with greatest care; but we should also be prepared, when reason, & duty demand sacrifice, to deliver it to the flames.

Let us however, in so far as we can, avoid discomforts as well as dangers, & withdraw to safe ground, by thinking continually how we may repel all objects of fear.

Let us therefore, see to it that we abstain from giving offence; It is sometimes, people that we ought to fear; or sometimes a body of influential oligarchs; & sometimes individuals equipped with power by the people & against the people.

It is burdensome to keep friendship of all such persons; it is enough not to make enemies of them; So the wise ones will never provoke anger of those in power; nay, they will even turn their course, precisely as one would turn from a storm if they were steering a ship.

Philosophy itself, however, should be practised with calmness & moderation.

One who craves riches feels fear on their account, No one, however, enjoys a blessing that brings anxiety; one is always trying to add a little more, While one puzzles over increasing their wealth, one forgets how to use it, those that collect their accounts, & turns over their ledger, – in short, One ceases to be master & becomes a steward.

Farewell.

Seneca, StoicTaoist.