I

March 30th

REASON IN ALL THINGS

“Hurry to your own ruling reason, to the reason of the Whole, and

to your neighbor’s. To your own mind to make it just; to the mind

of the Whole to remember your place in it; and to your neighbor’s

mind to learn whether it’s ignorant or of sound knowledge—while

recognizing it’s like yours.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 9.22

f our lives are not ruled by reason, what are they ruled by? Impulse?
Whim? Mimicry? Unthinking habit? As we examine our past behavior,
it’s sad how often we find this to be the case—that we were not acting
consciously or deliberately but instead by forces we did not bother to
evaluate. It also happens that these are the instances that we’re mostly likely
to regret.