Marcus Aurelius Meditations
Marcus Aurelius: And lastly, which beareth me that tread…
And lastly, which beareth me that tread upon it, and beareth with me that so many ways do abuse it, or so freely make use of it, so many ways to so many ends.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Meditations. The reading beside it is ours.
The ground carries us even while we wear it down, pave it over, litter it, and use it for our own purposes. Marcus notices this as an example of nature's vast capacity to support life without complaint. It is a call to gratitude, but also to humility.
We rely on systems we barely notice: clean water, food grown by others, roads, electricity, the labor behind every package at our door. It is easy to use all of this as if it appeared by magic. That attitude makes us careless and entitled.
Take a moment to see what is carrying you today. Thank the person who made your work easier. Avoid wasting what you did not create. Treat shared spaces as if they belong to others too—because they do. The world is generous enough to sustain us; our response should be responsibility, not indifference.
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