You Have to Do the Right Thing Because That’s the Right Thing to Do
Welcome back to Mid-Week Meditations , Lifehacker’s weekly dip in the pool of stoic wisdom and a guide to using its waters to meditate and improve your life.
This week’s selection is from Marcus Aurelius, Book 7, Meditations . At the end of the book, in paragraph 73, he punishes those who want or expect more by doing a good deed:
“When you have done good, and the other has received benefit, why are you still looking, like fools, for something else — praise for good deeds or bestowal?”
What does it mean
When it comes to doing good to others, only two things matter: you are doing a good deed and the other person benefits from that good deed. It is foolish to expect anything third, such as gratitude, appreciation, or service in return.
What to take from there
In the modern mind, we have adopted an unfortunate, somewhat selfish way of thinking. Every time we do something good, bad, or something in between, we reach out and say, “What do I get for this?” Take your hand off!
When you help others, knowing that you did the right thing should be reward enough. The concept of “doing good” or “being kind” in the Stoic sense is inherently selfless and is considered the ideal natural state of man. You do good because it is good – something that you should do just because. There is nothing else.
If you can’t think of a good reason for doing good without a good reason, ask yourself why. What harm will befall you if you do good to others? You may not receive your precious reward in the short term, but it will benefit everyone in the long term. You don’t always have to try your best to do the right thing, but when the opportunity arises, there is no reason not to. Perhaps one day someone will help you in the same way.
Do good and do it just because. Don’t expect gratitude, don’t expect praise, and don’t expect rewards. If you get such a banal compensation, take a breath. If not, go on with your life knowing that the world is a little better. Not every action has to be a deal.
You can read the entire book of Meditations for free here .