Let It Go, You’re Plenty Guilty Yourself
The Daily Stoic1 Marras 2018

Let It Go, You’re Plenty Guilty Yourself

Like you’ve never cut in line, on purpose or on accident.

Like you’ve never done something selfish or spoken with an attitude.

Like you’ve never been jealous or petty or mean.

Of course you have. You’ve done all these things. We all have.

Yet when other people do them, it’s somehow different. It’s a transgression. A violation. That’s why we stew. We plot. We shower them with insults. Because when they do it, it’s intentional, it’s a sign of bad character, it must be stopped.

C’mon.

The Stoics teach us, when we butt up against someone else’s awfulness, to always remember when we ourselves have behaved like that. Marcus writes patiently about considering the motivations of the person responsible, of trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, of considering the crazy possibility that they aren’t irredeemable assholes. Who knows, they may even think they’re doing the right thing!

So whatever it is that’s pissing you off today, let it go. We are all plenty guilty of our own sins and stupidity. Which is why we need to forgive and forget other people’s. We need to give them the same clemency and patience we grant to ourselves (which is to say, basically, an unlimited amount). This is the essence of the Golden Rule. It’s easy to treat others the way you would like to be treated when everything is looking up. It’s when the chips are down that the Golden Rule is hardest to employ, which of course is when it is most important of all.


See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jaksot(2903)

They’re Not Thinking About You At All | The Dangerous Comfort of Half Measures

They’re Not Thinking About You At All | The Dangerous Comfort of Half Measures

Day to day, it’s only our individual actions that are up to us: How we treat people, how we run our businesses, what we think about.📚 Grab the free PDF at tim.blog/seneca🎙️ Listen to the audiobook o...

18 Helmi 15min

Burn this Letter | The Enemy of Happiness

Burn this Letter | The Enemy of Happiness

It’s not that you should never speak up. It’s not that you should never speak truth to power. It’s just that you should never do it while you’re angry. Do it after you’ve calmed down. Do it after you’...

17 Helmi 7min

This Was Washington’s Philosophy | Power Fades. Character Leads.

This Was Washington’s Philosophy | Power Fades. Character Leads.

All that we see must be illuminated by the calm light of mild philosophy. So we can see what it really is. So we don’t do anything we regret. 📚 Pick up a copy of Lincoln's Virtues: An Ethical Biograp...

16 Helmi 44min

 If You Only Read a Few Books This Year, Read These

If You Only Read a Few Books This Year, Read These

Most people don’t read that many books, maybe a few a year at most. So if you’re only going to read a couple books this year, the decision of which ones you choose becomes really important.In today’s ...

15 Helmi 13min

11 Stoic Rules For Love

11 Stoic Rules For Love

Love isn’t just an emotion. It’s not just a feeling that hits you out of nowhere. It’s an action, something you can practice and something you can get better at. And while philosophy might not seem li...

14 Helmi 24min

This Kindles the Soul | Why You Can't Ignore What's Happening

This Kindles the Soul | Why You Can't Ignore What's Happening

Marcus Aurelius said that if you ever found anything better in life than courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom—the four virtues—it must be an extraordinary thing indeed. Which raises the question: ...

13 Helmi 15min

Do Not Delay | Dan Harris & Ryan Holiday on The Pursuit of Wisdom

Do Not Delay | Dan Harris & Ryan Holiday on The Pursuit of Wisdom

Life has a way of stripping all our reasons bare, of humbling our plans and assumptions. We must live, as Marcus Aurelius said, as if death hangs over us. Because it does.👉 Listen to the full convers...

12 Helmi 13min

There’s a Rhythm. There’s a Rhythm.

There’s a Rhythm. There’s a Rhythm.

It can feel like everything is falling to pieces. It can feel like you’re lost. It can feel like there’s no hope, no way forward, nothing to do. But that’s just because you’ve gotten rattled.👉 Suppor...

11 Helmi 2min

Suosittua kategoriassa Liike-elämä ja talous

sijotuskasti
mimmit-sijoittaa
rss-rahapodi
psykopodiaa-podcast
rss-sisalto-kuntoon
rss-rahamania
rss-lahtijat
taloudellinen-mielenrauha
ostan-asuntoja-podcast
pomojen-suusta
rss-h-asselmoilanen
rss-seuraava-potilas
inderespodi
rss-startup-ministerio
rss-20-30-40-podcast
rss-vaikuttavan-opettajan-vierella
rss-siksi-viestinta
juristipodi
rss-bisnesta-bebeja
rss-inspiroivat-naiset