【每日斯多葛】10月7日

A SELFISH REASON TO BE GOOD

"The person who does wrong, does wrong to themselves. The unjust person is unjust to themselves—making themselves evil."

—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 9.4

The next time you do something wrong, try to remember how it made you feel. Rarely does one say, "I felt great!"

There is a reason there's often vomit at crime scenes. Instead of the catharsis the person thought they'd feel when they let themselves get out of control or when they got their revenge, they ended up making themselves sick. We feel a version of this when we lie, when we cheat, when we screw someone over.

So in that split second before your ill-gotten gains kick in, ask: How do I feel about myself? Is that moment when fear rises in your throat because you suspect you may get caught really worth it?

Self-awareness and wrongdoing rarely go together. If you need a selfish reason to not do wrong—put yourself in touch with these feelings. They're a powerful disincentive.

10月7日

做个好人的自私理由

"做错事的人,是对自己做错事。不义之人对自己不义——使自己变得邪恶。"

——马可·奥勒留,《沉思录》,9.4

下次你做错事时,试着记住那让你有什么感受。很少有人会说:"我感觉棒极了!"

犯罪现场常有呕吐物,这是有原因的。那个人原以为放任自己失控或报了仇之后会得到宣泄,结果却把自己弄病了。当我们撒谎、作弊、坑害别人时,也会感受到类似的滋味。

所以,在不义之财带来的快感袭来之前的那一瞬间,问问自己:我对自己感觉如何?那种因为怀疑自己可能被抓而恐惧涌上喉头的时刻,真的值得吗?

自我觉察与做错事很少同时出现。如果你需要一个自私的理由来不做错事——就让自己去触碰这些感受。它们是强大的威慑。