Daily Reflection
“When people injure you, ask yourself what good or harm they thought would come of it. If you understand that, you'll feel sympathy rather than outrage or anger. Your sense of good and evil may be the same as theirs, or near it, in which case you have to excuse them. Or your sense of good and evil may differ from theirs. In which case they're misguided and deserve your compassion. Is that so hard?”
-Marcus Aurelius, Mediations
To be stoic is often associated with detachment, numbness, or lack of emotion in the English language. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Stoicism is actually about the habits and disciplines that allow one to observe themselves—their actions, thoughts, and reactions—in deep, structured reflection. The disciplines of the Stoics are extremely comparable to those of mindfulness or Zen.
Marcus Aurelius, a student of the practice, kept a daily journal in which he constantly wrestled himself and wrestled out these disciplines.
While we actually know very little about the man himself aside from some broad facts and rough time period, we have this intimate window into his daily, personal thoughts through his reflections in Mediations.
In short, much of Stoic discipline is about moving above, or beyond one’s immediate reaction, into a space of empathy. In this empathy, we are free to imagine and connect with the possible motives and reasons for the behavior of others who harm or inconvenience us.
What habits help cultivate your empathy?
Matt
Want to read more about empathy, Stoicism, and Marcus Aurelius? Check out this earlier TPP article.