Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.56

The first principle then in man's constitution is the social.

And the second is not to yield to the persuasions of the body, for it is the peculiar office of the rational and intelligent motion to circumscribe itself, and never to be overpowered either by the motion of the senses or of the appetites, for both are animal; but the intelligent motion claims superiority and does not permit itself to be overpowered by the others. And with good reason, for it is formed by Nature to use all of them.

The third thing in the rational constitution is freedom from error and from deception. Let then the ruling principle, holding fast to these things, go straight on, and it has what is its own.

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

Because human nature is rational, it is ordered toward cooperation with others. My conscious and deliberate choice can participate with the conscious and deliberate choice of my fellows, knowing that we all share in the same end and purpose. We are better and stronger together, not apart.

Because human nature is rational, it is ordered toward ruling both itself and whatever is beneath it. My conscious and deliberate choice can be the source of its own good, and can make good use of all my other powers. The mind can master the senses and the passions, and need not be mastered by them.

Because human nature is rational, it is ordered toward the certainty of truth over the confusion of ignorance. My conscious and deliberate choice is firmly grounded in the ability to distinguish true from false, and right from wrong. Whatever possesses a mind can know what it does, and thereby act with conviction.

I am made to live with my neighbor, I am made to have my mind rule my body, and I am made to have a clear understanding of my purpose. It perhaps sounds so obvious to me, but then I recognize how often I stray from these principles.

We exist for one another, yet I will still assume that I am in some state of war. We exist for the higher to inform the lower, but I will still act as if the lower should drag down the higher. We exist to have confidence in truth, but I will still succumb to so much doubt and fear.

Why am I fighting? Why am I still a slave? Why am I crippled by skepticism? I find that these are, of course, universal problems for all of humanity, but they are also especially prevalent in the modern age, where we are so deeply separated from a bond with Nature. We are divorced from love, fueled by violent emotion, and dismissive of the idea that there can be anything absolute beyond ourselves.

I remind myself that my commitment to Stoic living will only be as complete as my willingness to put these principles into daily practice. I should not only ponder them abstractly, but also apply them concretely. Only then will I not be swept away by confusion about who I am, why I am here, and where I should be going. 

Written in 12/2007

IMAGE: Henrietta Rae, Doubts (1886)