1182. Wherever fear is, happiness is not. ~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca

by

14

Fear is the main source of superstition,
and one of the main sources of cruelty.
To conquer is the beginning of wisdom.
~Bertrand Russell

Screen Shot 2016-06-23 at 3.59.59 PM.png

When death comes
like the hungry bear in autumn;
when death comes and takes all the bright coins
from his purse to buy me, and snaps the purse shut;
when death comes like the measle-pox
when death comes like an iceberg
between the shoulder blades,
I want to step through the door full of curiosity,
wondering: what is it going to be like,
that cottage of darkness?
And therefore I look upon everything
as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
and I look upon time as no more than an idea,
and I consider eternity as another possibility,
and I think of each life as a flower,
as common as a field daisy, and as singular,
and each name a comfortable music in the mouth,
tending, as all music does, toward silence,
and each body a lion of courage,
and something precious to the earth.
When it’s over, I want to say all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.
When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder if
I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don’t want to find myself sighing
and frightened, or full of argument.
I don’t want to end up
simply having visited this world.
~Mary Oliver

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. ~Isaiah 41:10  ✝

**There are 365 days in the year, and the Bible, as in the passage above, tells us not to be afraid 365 times. Coincidence? I think not. It’s a message the Lord wants to be rooted in our hearts every single day of our lives.

14 thoughts on “1182. Wherever fear is, happiness is not. ~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca”

  3. Pingback: 1182. Wherever fear is, happiness is not. ~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca — Sacred Touches – wolf4915

  6. Love the poem. Even though the bible says we shouldn’t have fear, but I think having fear can be healthy thing. If we didn’t have fear, we might end doing something that could cause us to be in worse trouble.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a reply to Julie (aka Cookie) Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.