【每日斯多葛】2026年7月21日

July 21st

MADE FOR WORKING TOGETHER

“Whenever you have trouble getting up in the morning, remind yourself that you’ve been made by nature for the purpose of working with others, whereas even unthinking animals share sleeping. And it’s our own natural purpose that is more fitting and more satisfying.”—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 8.12

If a dog spends all day in bed—your bed, most likely—that’s fine. It’s just being a dog. It doesn’t have anywhere to be, no other obligation other than being itself. According to the Stoics, we humans have a higher obligation—not to the gods but to each other. What gets us out of bed each morning—even when we fight it like Marcus did—is praxeis koinonikas apodidonai, to render works held in common. Civilization and country are great projects we build together and have been building together with our ancestors for millennia. We are made for cooperation, synergia, with each other.

So if you need an extra boost to get out of bed this morning, if you need something more than caffeine can offer, use this. People are depending on you. Your purpose is to help us render this great work together. And we’re waiting and excited for you to show up.

7月21日

为协同工作而生

“每当你早晨起床感到困难时，提醒自己：自然造就你，是为了让你与他人共同工作；而睡觉这件事，就连没有思想的动物也会共享。真正更适合我们、也更令人满足的，是我们自己的自然目的。”——马可·奥勒留，《沉思录》，8.12

如果一只狗整天都待在床上——很可能是你的床上——那也没什么不好。它只是在做一只狗。它没有别的地方要去，除了做自己之外，没有其他义务。根据斯多葛学派的观点，我们人类肩负着更高的义务——不是对神明的义务，而是对彼此的义务。每天早上让我们起床的动力——即使像马库斯那样抗拒起床——是“praxeis koinonikas apodidonai”，即为了共同的事业而奋斗。文明和国家是我们共同建设的伟大工程，也是我们与祖先共同建设了数千年的伟大事业。我们生来就应该彼此合作，彼此协同。

所以，如果今天早晨你需要一点额外的推动才能起床，如果你需要某种比咖啡因所能提供的东西更多的力量，就用这个想法吧。人们在依靠你。你的目的，是帮助我们一起完成这项伟大的共同事业。我们正在等待你，也期待你出现。