Meditations

And how does it injure you anyway? You’ll find that none
of the people you’re upset about has done anything that could
do damage to your mind. But that’s all that “harm” or
“injury” could mean. Yes, boorish people do boorish things.
What’s strange or unheard-of about that? Isn’t it yourself you
should reproach—for not anticipating that they’d act this
way? The logos gave you the means to see it—that a given
person would act a given way—but you paid no attention.
And now you’re astonished that he’s gone and done it. So
when you call someone “untrustworthy” or “ungrateful,” turn
the reproach on yourself. It was you who did wrong. By
assuming that someone with those traits deserved your trust.
Or by doing them a favor and expecting something in return,
instead of looking to the action itself for your reward. What
else did you expect from helping someone out? Isn’t it
enough that you’ve done what your nature demands? You
want a salary for it too? As if your eyes expected a reward
for seeing, or your feet for walking. That’s what they were
made for. By doing what they were designed to do, they’re
performing their function. Whereas humans were made to
help others. And when we do help others—or help them to
do something—we’re doing what we were designed for. We
perform our function.