Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.12

Stand up, or be made to stand up.

—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 7 (tr Long)

I have understood this passage in two different ways, both as an encouragement and as a warning. Which it is at any given moment will, I suppose, tells me quite a bit about the current state of my soul.

Nature will arrange all things precisely as they are supposed to be. She will put a man in his proper place, but because she has given him reason, the power to understand for himself, she also gives him the opportunity to freely participate in that part. By coming to know himself and his world, he may choose to become a joyful and willing cooperator in the order of Providence.

But what if he is unwilling? Surely if he has the right to say yes, he also has the right to say no? Indeed he does. He will still play a role, and he will still be a part of the whole, but that part will now be forced on him from without, not proceeding freely from within. Either a man will choose to live well in service, or he will find himself corrected back into service.

When I’m managing my life rightly, this inspires me to do better, knowing that I am happy to have my own thoughts and actions as their own reward. When I’m messing things up, it is cautionary, reminding me that when I refuse to do right, Nature will make me right. My actions will have very real consequences. This may not always be as pleasant an experience as I would like.

I once worked for a fellow who had a lazy habit of parking his car right in front of the restaurant he owned. The problem was that this convenient spot also happened to have a fire hydrant on the curb, and he received dozens of parking tickets. They would get tossed into a drawer below the register.

One day, a local cop had enough. He didn’t even bother to write another ticket, but promptly called a tow truck. Sensing that the officer meant business, my friend ran out to argue with him. I remember that wonderful sight of a seasoned Boston Irish cop and a Lebanese businessman yelling wildly at one another.

The discussion ended quickly when the cop quite colorfully said, “Listen buddy, this car is not gonna be sittin’ here in this spot in ten minutes. Now you can move it yourself, or I’m gonna move it for you. But you ain’t gonna like what happens when I move it for you. And you sure ain’t gonna like what I’m gonna do to your face if I ever see it parked here again.” I have removed the many expletives to protect tender ears.

My friend did not say another word, promptly moved the car, and never parked by that hydrant again.

To keep it in the spirit of my Boston years, I can choose to be a stand-up guy, or Nature is going to light a fire under my ass. My call.

Written in 9/2007