Seneca: You say, “I cannot endure it: injuries are hard…

We often say, “I cannot put up with this,” when what we mean is, “I do not want to feel this discomfort.” But anger adds a second burden to the first. There is the rude remark or unfair event, and then there is the agitation, replaying, retaliation, and sleeplessness we pile on top of it. If you can bear the anger—its heat, its tension, its restless energy—you can bear the original injury too. In fact, you can bear it more lightly without the extra drama. This does not mean pretending that harm is fine. It means refusing to make yourself suffer twice. When something stings, say: this is unpleasant, but it is survivable. Then deal with what needs dealing with. Endure the fact without volunteering for the rage. That is not passivity. It is choosing the lighter load.