Fear has a strange power: It many many times delivers the very pain we are trying to avoid. Long before anything bad happens, fear makes us live inside the possibility of suffering, again and again, until the imagined becomes heavier than the real. Michel de Montaigne captured this truth perfectly: “A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears.”
This statement is not just a clever philosophy; it is a mirror; it shows us how easily the mind becomes its own tormentor, how fear multiplies pain, and how the anticipation of hardship can feel more unbearable than hardship itself.
Fear Creates a Shadow of Suffering Before Anything Happens
Most suffering does not come from life itself, but from the story we tell ourselves about what might happen. We fear rejection before we ever ask, we fear failure before we ever try, and we fear loss before anything is taken from us.
Fear turns possibilities into emotional realities. And the irony is that: We experience the pain even if the event never occurs.
This is why Montaigne’s warning is both simple and devastating: You are already living the suffering you are trying to avoid.
The Mind Multiplies Pain, but Action Reduces it
Fear thrives in NOT doing the work, NOT taking actions. When we just sit, think, and overthink, fear grows, but when we move, act, and face what our dread, fear shrinks.
Many people have discovered that doing the difficult thing hurts less than imagining it. Reality is usually smaller, lighter, and more manageable than the monster created in your mind.
So know this: The moment you take a step, the fog lifts. Action replaces anxiety with clarity.
Fear is a Thief: It Steals Your Peace Before Anything Else Can
Fear does not just make life smaller; it makes it heavier, because it steals:
- your present peace
- your potential opportunities
- your ability to think clearly
- your capacity to grow
And worst of all, fear creates double suffering: first psychologically, then practically. And as the Stoics say: “We suffer more in imagination than in reality.”
Michel De Montaigne just showed the consequence: Fear taxes you twice.
Courage Does Not Just Eliminate Fear; it Also Prevents Fear From Becoming Suffering
In all honesty, courage does not always mean the absence of fear, but most certainly, it is always the refusal to surrender your life to fear.
When we act, despite trembling, sweating, hesitating, we break fear’s spell. We say to ourselves:
- “I will not suffer in advance!”
- “I will not let imagined pain dictate real life!”
- “I will not pay with my peace for something that has not happened!”
This is how self-mastery begins: By refusing to let fear destroy you.
Fear tries to make you carry burdens that do not yet exist. You worry about problems that are days, months, or years away, but life has a different rule: You only carry today’s weight. Tomorrow’s weight is not yours yet. And by all means, this is NOT! Saying do not think and plan for the future, this is SAYING DO NOT LET TOMORROW’S WEIGHT THAT IS YET TO COME KILL YOUR TODAY’S PROACTIVENESS!
To fear suffering is to carry tomorrow’s pain today. To face life as it comes is to live with strength, calm, and clarity.
The Way Out is to Meet Fear at the Door
You may not be able to always stop fear from knocking, but you can certainly always stop it from moving in. By:
- Name what you fear.
- Ask yourself if the suffering is real or imagined.
- Face small fears daily; this builds psychological muscle.
- Accept that discomfort is part of growth.
- Move forward even if fear follows you.
When you walk toward your fear to act against it, it walks away, but when you walk away from your fear, it follows.
Read Also: Do Not Be Afraid: Fear Should Never Stop You From Truly Living
Read Also: Freedom from Fear: The Most Essential Liberty
Read Also: What Is Cleithrophobia: The Fear of Being Trapped
Conclusion
Fear is not always optional, and suffering too is not, but Fear-Driven Suffering is Always a Choice.
Life will bring its share of difficulties; that is inevitable, but the suffering we create through fear is unnecessary, avoidable, and entirely within our control.
So and again Michel De Montaigne’s words are a liberation: If fear creates suffering, courage dissolves it. If fear limits you, action frees you. If fear predicts pain, action against it in reality will prove it wrong.
So stop suffering ahead of time! Stop letting imagined outcomes dictate real emotions! Stop giving fear the power to hurt you twice!
You do not need to wait for fear to disappear! You only need to stop feeding it! Because the moment you stop fearing suffering, you stop suffering.
