Marcus Aurelius Antoninus to Himself - College of Stoic Philosophers

v MARCUS AURELIUS ANTONINUS cxli
the thought of Nature, not of man that stirs it. The \
love of neighbour is not an outgoing of personal affec-
tion, but at most a befriending care for kind ;
short of '
brotherhood '
(the term adopted
it falls /
in transla- '
tion *) for it is not indeed direct from man to man,
but transmitted through the cosmos. It remains im-\
personal and generic, belonging to the same moral
J
category as patriotism, or political fraternity, or devotion
to a cause : but, spread over a larger and less tangible
object, it falls short of these in ardour of desire, and
much more lacks the effusion, the joy, the impulsive
energy and the quick indignations of altruistic love.
Therefore to the last it condemns the Stoic to some
lukewarmness of faith and ineffectiveness of personal ,
appeal ; and leaves him content '
with
2
them,' 'to keep in charity with liars and with
to better men or bear /
rogues,' 3 'to blame none,' 4 and to accept misunderstand-
ing and dislike as normal items of experience. 5
Life
will have little glow and death no sting.
Death is the seal of man's position in the cosmos.
He is but a part, insignificant in space and time ; the part
the whole abides. Death is an 6
incident
passes, only
in the brief incident of its existence : it is for nature's
good, acceptable not terrible. 7 The Thoughts are
4 Cf. ii. I ; iv. 3 ; v. 22, '25 ; vi. 27, 55 ; vii. 22, 29 ;
viii. 14, 17; ix. 4, ii, 20, 38, 42; x. 4; xi. 16, 18; xii.
12, 16.
5 ii. I ; x. 36.
7
6 iv. 5 ; vi. 2 ; ix. 3 ; x. 36 ; xii. 23.
ii. 12; iii. 5, 7, 16 ; iv. 48; v. 29, 33; ix. 3, 21; x. 8,
29, 36 ; xii. 35.
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