Words can serve as an anchor to keep our feet in the present, without faltering when things get complicated. Not all words have that effect on our minds.. Only those truly chosen with consciousness and meaning can exercise this healing power, this role of sustaining and containing.

Of all that have been said throughout history, there are some that many of us repeat incessantly, but without fully knowing their origin and, therefore, losing part of their meaning. They were said by Seneca, the great Stoic philosopher. And they were the following: Dum vita est, spes est

A phrase we all use

Seneca writes these words in Ad Luciliumwhich in Spanish we translate as Letters to Lucilius. In this manuscript, the philosopher sought to pour out the wisdom of a lifetime dedicated to stoicismto pass on some essential life advice to your friend and disciple.

In these letters, in which Seneca pours his practical wisdom, he touches on topics as diverse as time, wealth, passions, death and friendship. And at a certain point in his writing, he seals the words that we have been repeating for so many centuries: dum vita est, spes est.

But what do these words mean in Spanish? It’s the classic, “as long as there is life, there is hope.”

As long as there is life…

We have all uttered these words at some point in our lives. When we are having a hard time, when a friend is going through a big crisis, when everything seems to go wrong, we turn to them as a balm. “As long as there is life, there is hope.” But why?

With these words, Seneca wanted to leave Lucilius a clear message: we always have room for action. Or, at least, we have it while we are alive.

This reflects another great teaching of Stoicism, perhaps the most important, and that is that it is useless to waste hours thinking about what we cannot control. It is better to focus on what is under our control. And as long as we are alive, we can control our words, actions and attitudes.

There is hope

The Stoics were philosophers who faced great adversity. Perhaps among them, Seneca was the most well-off. But we cannot forget that his philosophy drew on lives like those of Zeno of Citium, who lost everything in a shipwreck. Or that of Marcus Aurelius, who had to spend years away from his family, immersed in a war that seemed endless. Or Epictetus, who, being born a slave, had to find a way to find his own freedom.

Difficulty, the darkest side of life, presented itself to the Stoics in a thousand different ways. And they always responded the same way: focusing on what they could control. Because as long as there is life, there is hope.

Zeno could not rescue all his riches from the sea, he could not restore his status crying for what was lost. But he was alive. That is why he adopted an active attitude and, in fact, it was he who, under the stole (a porch), founded Stoicism.

Marcus Aurelius could do nothing to stop the war, at least not immediately.. But he remained firm and made sure to be the best emperor possible for his people, leaving behind his wonderful Meditationsin writing, which still inspire so many today.

Epictetus could not change his position as a slave by birth, but with his wisdom he became one of the most remembered masters of classical knowledge.

Because yes, these great masters, like Seneca himself, are a reflection that the game is not considered lost until it is over. In life, there is always a second chance, a different way of doing things. There is hope. At least, there is as long as there is life.

Take advantage of what you have in your favor

The currents of humanistic psychology rescue this same idea that Seneca outlined in his Letters to Lucilius more than 2000 years ago when They tell us we should focus on our strengthsand not in our weaknesses.

After a conscious analysis of our situation, we will always find two interesting things. On the one hand, we have areas for improvement, what we could call weaknesses. Maybe it’s that you don’t have a job, that you can’t find a rental you can afford, that your partner doesn’t treat you as well as you would like. It is something that makes you desperate, something that destabilizes you. But as long as there is life, there is hope.

And that hope is your strengths. You may not have a job, but you do have the ability to learn. Maybe you can’t find a rental you can afford, but you have parents you can lean on and the ability to save. Maybe your partner doesn’t treat you as well as you deserve, but you have the chance to demand what you need, not to stay next to someone who doesn’t do you any good.

This won’t make the problems go away, but it will allow you to focus on what you can do. In the tools you have to get ahead. And that, in turn, It will allow you to improve your resilience and understand that hope is not a matter of faithbut of attitude.