The ancient Stoic philosophers often employed an exercise known as “premeditatio malorum” – or the premeditation of evils. In short, they would conjure up in their minds how bad things could happen to them and then do the exact opposite, believing good things would inevitably and invariably come from such activity.
Today, we call this practice the “Law of Inversion” – and it can be equally effective when pondering how best to help our children and teens grow into responsible and successful adults.
This practice recently came to mind thanks to my friend, Holly, who has been teaching at a Christian college for more than two decades.
