Seneca Moral essays
Seneca: We might go on blaming fate much longer, but we…
We might go on blaming fate much longer, but we cannot alter it: it stands harsh and inexorable: no one can move it by reproaches, by tears, or by justice. Fate never spares any one, never makes allowances to any one.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Seneca’s moral essays. The reading beside it is ours.
There is no shortage of reasons to be angry at what happened. You can replay the unfairness, list every warning sign, and ask why this had to be your burden. But reality does not negotiate with a persuasive complaint. This is one of Stoicism's hardest lessons: some facts are not improved by our resistance to them. That does not mean we become passive. It means we stop wasting strength on the one task we cannot perform—making the past other than it was. A canceled job offer, a diagnosis, an accident, or another person's decision may be harsh and undeserved. Your next move still belongs to you. Cry if you need to. Seek help. Appeal the decision when an appeal is possible. But do not confuse protest with power. Ask the useful question: given that this is true, what does courage look like now? That question returns you to the field of action.
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