Seneca believed fear and hope are the same thing. Both arise from our desire for certainty in an uncertain world.
Fear is an emotion caused by a future we want to avoid.
Hope is an emotion caused by a future we desire.
Both are based on the future, not the present. This attachment to a point that has not yet arrived makes us vulnerable and harms our growth. It's a barrier our thinking mind delights in spinning circles around. But in reality, it keeps us from what is accessible right in front of us.
The antidote for fear and hope is surrender—letting go. True peace and stillness are found in the here and now, not the distant future.