Marcus Aurelius, the last “good” Roman emperor, wrote a book entitled Meditations between 170-180 AD, the final years of his life. He lamented that people often act selfishly, ignorantly, or ungratefully because they lack wisdom.
“Instead of rage or resentment, respond with patience, gentle correction, and affection, recognizing that all humans are part of the same family.”
Bravo Marcus, bravo.
Can WE get back to this now, please?
I talk a lot about the “common man” and helping those in need. I don’t know when or where we lost this concept, but it’s time to get it back. Although it appears in the Bible, people learned long before the Old Testament was written to love their neighbors, aid a friend, or lend a helping hand. Pick up garbage, give a sincere compliment, or pay for someone’s coffee.
I’m not sure what happened in the last 12 years aside from a global pandemic and Portugal winning Euro 2016, but if Marcus Aurelius’s words are true, wisdom will quell our ignorance and tame our ungrateful nature. Think about what human beings have accomplished on this planet…It’s honestly hard to fathom sometimes, yet common decency and kindness have been replaced by online bickering, trolling and hate-speech.
Have we all been through so much that we have nothing left to give a person who needs a win more than we do?
I don’t think so. I think it’s in all of us, but it requires effort, a few extra minutes not thinking about ourselves, and a kind heart.
So much can be achieved in this life through hard work, but many of us are so preoccupied with why we even picked up our phones, we forgot to look up and observe what we’ve become.
I have faith again. Faith in humanity, democracy, and fly fishing. OK, I never lost the third one, but you get my point.
Help someone this week. Reach out to a friend you haven’t spoken with in a while. Pick up the piece of trash you have walked passed the last two days.
Who knows, maybe you’ll have a breakthrough that never seemed possible…
Here’s to a wise Roman Emperor and a whole lotta good vibes at the moment. Stay safe, be kind to one another and happy early Thanksgiving!
Leave a Reply