Marcus Aurelius Meditations
Marcus Aurelius: As long as the foot doth that which…
As long as the foot doth that which belongeth unto it to do, and the hand that which belongs unto it, their labour, whatsoever it be, is not unnatural. So a man as long as he doth that which is proper unto a man, his labour cannot be against nature; and if it be not against nature, then neither is it hurtful unto him.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Meditations. The reading beside it is ours.
A foot is made to walk. A hand is made to grasp and help. When they perform their proper work, effort is not an injury to them; it is their function. Marcus applies that thought to human beings. We are built for reason, cooperation, courage, and fairness. Work that expresses these capacities may be tiring, but it is not contrary to our nature. The problem is not effort itself. The problem is effort spent in ways that betray what is best in us: manipulation, cruelty, pointless competition, or endless self-indulgence. This can clarify the question, “What should I do with my life?” Start smaller than a job title. What action would be recognizably human at this moment? Help someone. Think clearly. Keep a commitment. Contribute rather than merely consume. Today, treat one difficult responsibility not as punishment, but as an opportunity to use a capacity you were made to exercise.
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