Meditation VIII.59 - Human Solidarity - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil
People exist for the sake of one another. Teach them then or bear with them.1
Explanation
(1) Stoicism excludes no one from the human community. Each of us is bound through our genesis in Logos to the universal community which includes all men and all women of all ages, all races, all socio-economic classes, and all nations. There are no distinctions in Stoicism. We have a duty to advance the human community by demonstrating in our actions and teaching the truth of existence: to live according to the law of nature. For those who choose to live in opposition to nature we are no less bound to love those men and women, to show compassion toward their misery, and wherever and whenever possible to stand by and be ready to serve.
Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.
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