Marcus Aurelius’s Morning Meditation — with One Important Addition
“Before you get going in the morning say to yourself, ‘Today I’ll meet people who are meddlers, ingrates, bullies, cheaters, envious and antisocial people. All of this happens because they don’t know the difference between what’s good and what’s bad.’” — Marcus Aurelius, To Himself 2.1
For many modern Stoics seeking to imitate icons like Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, this mantra is an empowering way to start the day. It mentally prepares you for the conflicts you’ll inevitably face, especially if you work in an emotionally draining job like retail, while still managing to frame troublesome people as ultimately good — good but misguided.
However, I think it’s important to add something to this morning meditation, a single line with far-reaching implications and abundant opportunities for personal growth. Why?
Because for all its deep insight, Marcus Aurelius’ morning reminder doesn’t acknowledge that every Stoic, no matter how long they’ve been practicing, could be wrong in any given conflict.
Veteran stoics may know the difference between what’s good and bad in most circumstances, but the probability of knowing what’s good and bad in every circumstance is impossible. At some point, you’ll be wrong. At some point, you may be the meddler, the bully, the…
