Are we disturbed by things or by the perceptions we form on them?

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I often hear people dreading the many unexpected possibilities that we encounter in this life. Some dread the thought of losing a loved one. Others dread the thought of losing their social standing, or even just the thought of growing old. A few even go as far as dreading the idea of them losing a few cents each day their referral fail to cick their daily PTC ads. But what are they really dreading about? Is it really those possibilities themselves? Or is it just the notions they form out of them? The Stoic philosopher Epictetus once said, "Men are disturbed, not by things, but by the principles and notions they form concerning things." How about you? What do you think?