Death Did Not Frighten Socrates
A man weeps because his son has gone abroad, or because his affairs have suffered. Take care not to be overcome by the apparent evil. Discriminate. What hurts this man is not the occurrence itself. Another man might not be hurt by it. It is the view he chooses to take of it. In conversation, accommodate yourself. Groan with him if need be. Take heed not to groan inwardly, too. Presence is not infection. Matching his verdict is.
Key Insight
Care that swallows the other person's interpretation is not care. It is a second accident. You can sit beside the weeping and still refuse the claim that the voyage or the loss had to wreck the mind that met it.
“What hurts this man is not this occurrence itself—for another man might not be hurt by it—but the view he chooses to take of it.”Explore full theme analysis
