Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 6.54

If sailors abused the helmsman, or the sick abused the doctor, would they listen to anybody else?

Or how could the helmsman secure the safety of those in the ship, or the doctor the health of those whom he attends?

—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 6 (tr Long)

Few things are more helpful for a good life, and more demanding of genuine humility, than being willing to listen to the guidance from those who know far better than we do.

Pride will get in the way. The patient becomes sicker, because he refuses to take the doctor’s prescription. The ship founders on the rocks, because the crew has cast aside their helmsman. We won’t pay heed to what is best for us, because it takes courage and character to admit that we don’t always have the answers. Trusting in the right authority makes more, not less, of us.

Such a truth is hardly limited merely to the professional world, and applies to all aspects of our moral and personal growth. I cringe when I think of all the times I failed to follow good advice from decent people, about the careless habits of questionable people. I would stubbornly insist upon having my own way, and then I would cry and complain when I had ended up following the untrustworthy and unreliable folks.

But if I don’t know any better myself, how can I tell whom I should really be listening to? How do I know the doctor isn’t a quack? Is there way to tell if a man can really steer the ship, or drive the train, or fly the plane? Having him simply look the part, or carry the right credentials, or walk along with a confident swagger is, of course, hardly the same thing as knowing his business.

I have learned, and I have learned it the hard way, that I should trust the person who already shows me that he is living in peace:

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. You will know them by their fruits.

Or put another way, the reliable and trustworthy authority is the one who puts his money where his mouth is. He is showing you that he is worth listening to, because he is showing you the worth in his living. In the end, it’s always the moral compass that needs to point the way. Don’t trust a greedy man with your money, don’t trust a glutton with your health, and never fall in love with a player.

The advice works just as well when it comes to trusting the right authority within myself, just as much as it does to the right authority outside myself. When I am feeling tempted, or angered, or confused, or discouraged, will my first feeling offer the best guidance? No, it is the calm voice of reason I should be listening to, that one I can barely hear under all of the chattering of my excited passions.

Let the head rule the gut, not the gut rule the head.

Written in 7/2007