Humble people worry less than the arrogant. Why is that? Because they aren’t so conceited as to think they have any idea (or control over) what may or may not happen.
The poet Rilke put it well: “Life is not even close to being as logically consistent as our worries; it has many more unexpected ideas and many more facts than we do.” Worry is pointless not only because it rarely makes things better, but also because you’re rarely ever worried about the right thing!
Seneca’s line was that “nothing happens to the wise man contrary to his expectation.” By that the arrogant person might take it to mean that the wise man is so smart that they are aware of all the possibilities. The humble soul knows that is probably not what Seneca meant. They know it’s more plausible that the wise are aware of Murphy’s Law and the absurd randomness of the universe. That is, within the range of expectations of the wise man is the idea that just about anything can happen.
Remember that today when you get anxious. The thing you’re hoping won’t happen, or hoping will happen...well, it’s just as likely that the world has entirely different plans for you. These plans are often things we couldn’t have even comprehended, let alone anticipated or prevented.
So let go a little bit. Don’t worry. It’s unbecoming. It’s arrogant. Be humble instead.- The Daily Stoic
In the beautiful children’s book, Each Kindness Jacqueline Woodson tells the story of a young girl named Chloe who treats a classmate in the way that we all have and sometimes still do. She teased the girl. She ignored her. She did not take the time to consider what this fellow human being might have been going through.
Then one day, Chloe’s teacher puts her casual cruelty into perspective for her by demonstrating the way that water ripples when a stone is dropped in it. So it goes with our behavior, the teacher explains. When we do something nice for someone, it ripples through their lives and into the world, radiating goodness outward.
Chloe is inspired by the teacher’s lesson...but it’s too late. The girl she was cruel to has moved away. Now when she throws a rock into the pond near her house, all she can think of are the lost opportunities she had to improve someone’s life, to make their day brighter.
Marcus Aurelius said justice is “the source of all the other virtues.” After all, who cares how courageous or disciplined or wise someone is if they treat others poorly? Conversely, think about the last time a stranger comped your coffee or got up and gave you their seat or told you that they like your shirt. Think about the time someone helped you when you were new, think about a hand reached down when you were struggling.
Seneca reminds us that every person we meet is an opportunity to practice kindness. Imagine if we took even half of those opportunities. What kind of cumulative difference would that end up making? An oceanic amount. Because kindness, big and small, ripples through the world and into eternity.
Why are these acts so powerful? Because they are a reflection of what we’re all here for, at the deepest level. Helping each other, being there for each other—that is what we were born to do, the Stoics say again and again. We were designed for each other’s sake.
“What is your vocation?” Marcus Aurelius asked himself. His reply? “To be a good person.” The Daily Stoic.
COMMENTS
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MorningStarAldan
07:59 Jan 26 2022
Thank you for this. I enjoyed it very much!