Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 11.24

The Spartans at their public spectacles used to set seats in the shade for strangers, but themselves sat down anywhere.

—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 11.24 (tr Long)

My first proper exposure to history in the classroom, as distinct from the usual cookie-cutter textbooks with their platitudes and sound bites, was reading Herodotus and Thucydides. We weren’t permitted to be lazy with these texts, and I soon struggled with disentangling different points of view, backing up a claim with an argument, and understanding how historical events revealed the depths of human nature. Years later, I would inflict that same suffering on my own students; it was the least I could do for them.

Many of us grew fascinated with the Peloponnesian Wars, and that powerful contrast between the Athenian and the Spartan minds. At the time, assuming I had to pick sides, I admired Athens, and was quite dubious of Sparta. As the years passed, however, I developed a profound respect for many aspects of Spartan values, and I noticed that a good number of ancient philosophers, not just Platonists but also Stoics, thought along similar lines.

I would no longer see just a cold militarism, but a noble sense of courage, not merely an oppressive oligarchy, but a passionate commitment to duty. They had their strict social codes, and practices that could easily appear brutal, yet beneath it all one can sense that they were moved by moral character as the highest expression of human excellence. All else could fall away, and it would only matter if virtue remained. In this regard, at least, the Stoic within me could look on with admiration.

I was quite moved by the tale about Lycurgus, who is claimed to have taken a young man who blinded him, and instead of exacting revenge, taught him as his own son.

When Xerxes tried to bribe Leonidas with rule over all of Greece, Herodotus says he gave this reply:

If you had any knowledge of the noble things of life, you would refrain from coveting others' possessions; but for me to die for Greece is better than to be the sole ruler over the people of my race.

There is also a story from the Battle of Thermopylae, where Dienekes was warned that the arrows of the Persians would be so numerous as to block out the light of the sun. Instead of being afraid, however, he responded that this was a good thing, as it would allow the Spartans to fight in the shade.

And here, Marcus Aurelius relates another wonderful account. We all know how the important people like to take the best seats, offices, or parking spaces; they do this because they want their status to be seen. But now imagine if we saved the best seats in the house for complete strangers, people we don’t know at all, and who have absolutely no standing in our pecking order.

This reveals a respect for others that goes far beyond the borders of the tribe, and a decency that treats people well simply for being people. It surely mirrors the old Greek custom of always showing hospitality and kindness to strangers, regardless of who they might be.

For the Stoic, it can also reflect that universal sense of human solidarity, the fact that we are all, regardless of class, race, or creed, brothers and sisters to one another. We should never look down on anyone, because we must first be citizens of the whole world.

Written in 6/2009