【每日斯多葛】10月17日

October 17th 

THE BENEFIT OF KINDNESS

“A benefit should be kept like a buried treasure, only to be dug up in necessity. . . . Nature bids us to do well by all. . . . Wherever there is a human being, we have an opportunity for kindness.”

—SENECA, ON THE HAPPY LIFE, 24.2–3

The first person you meet today—passing acquaintance or friend—no matter the context—positive or negative—is an opportunity for kindness. Or as different translators have taken this line from Seneca to mean, it is an opportunity for benefit. For both of you. You can seek to understand where they are coming from. You can seek to understand who they are, what they need, and what forces or impulses might be acting on them. And you can treat them well and be better off for it.

The same is true with the second person you encounter, and the third. Of course, there is no guarantee that they will return the favor, but that’s not our concern. As always, we’re going to focus on what we control: in this case, the ability to choose to respond with kindness.

10月17日 

善意的益处

“施予他人的恩惠应当像埋藏的宝藏一样保存起来，只有在必要时才挖出来……自然要求我们善待所有人……只要有人的地方，我们就有机会施以善意。”

——塞内卡，《论幸福生活》，24.2–3

今天你遇到的第一个人——无论是点头之交还是朋友，无论情境是积极的还是消极的——都是一个表达善意的机会。或者，正如不同译者对塞内卡这句话的理解，这也是一个让双方都从中受益的机会。你可以努力理解对方的立场和想法。你可以试着了解他们是什么样的人、他们需要什么，以及哪些外部力量或内在冲动可能正在影响他们。你可以善待他们，而自己也会因此受益。

你遇到的第二个人、第三个人，也是如此。当然，没有任何保证说他们一定会回报你的善意，但那并不是我们需要关心的事情。一如既往，我们要把注意力集中在自己能够控制的事情上：在这里，就是选择以善意回应他人的能力。