Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.27

It is satisfaction to a man to do the proper works of a man.

Now it is a proper work of a man to be benevolent to his own kind, to despise the movements of the senses, to form a just judgment of plausible appearances, and to take a survey of the Nature of the Universe and of the things that happen in it.

—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 8 (tr Long)

I once put this quote on a little chalkboard I had on my office door. For all the years I was a teacher, I would change the quote every week, from Plato to Aquinas, from Augustine to Nietzsche. The response to this one was quite overwhelming, but it wasn’t for the reasons I had hoped for.

See, the word “man” was troublesome for a few folks. By this point in the game of political correctness, I got flack just a few hours after I had written it out. No one came to me directly, of course, but some went straight to the Dean, a few went straight to the President, and one even wrote to the Board of Directors.

I am sadly still of the old school in this regard, and I still think that the word “man” can sometimes mean a male more narrowly, and sometimes mean any human more broadly. I am in no doubt about the sense Marcus Aurelius was using here in this passage.

Read it in context. It is our job as human beings to be kind and just, to not simply be moved by our passions, to think clearly, and to understand who we are in the order of all things. This isn’t simply the responsibility of a male, or of a female, or of this or that race, or of any perceived identity at all. It is the work of being a human being, a rational animal.

If you had four eyes, and eight hands, and happened to be colored purple, but you were still gifted with reason and choice, this would apply to you just as much.

The bitter irony is that we will confidently speak about unity, but we still wallow in our separation. We may tell someone to say or think what he believes is best, unless we happen not to like what someone is saying or thinking.

We say we love, of course, because others are human in theory, but we hate in practice, because others don’t come from the right side of the tracks, or, more importantly, others don’t think like us.

Have it one way, or have it the other way, but you can’t play both sides. Love your neighbor without condition, or feel free to attach all the conditions you like. But don’t tell me there must be universal love, even as you yourself practice a rather particular form of hate.

I know I am not measured by my gender, race, color, height, or weight. I am measured by my virtue. I often fail at that, as do you, and as does anyone. Shall we bicker about the accidents? Move rather to the essence.

Once again, consider what the Philosopher-Emperor actually said, and take that advice to heart. Love others. Don’t be ruled by your emotions. Master your emotions through reason. Think about how all of that fits into the big picture.

For anyone who is still curious, I was given a verbal reprimand from the Dean for my “inappropriate” statement.

The next week, I put this on my little chalkboard:

Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is.

I know, I’m a difficult sort of fellow. I am with Socrates, however, in asking people to think for themselves, even if they sadly find it offensive.

Feel free to hate me, but I still love you. 

Written in 9/2015