Marcus Aurelius Meditations
Marcus Aurelius: Of Alexander the Platonic, not often…
Of Alexander the Platonic, not often nor without great necessity to say, or to write to any man in a letter, 'I am not at leisure'; nor in this manner still to put off those duties, which we owe to our friends and acquaintances (to every one in his kind) under pretence of urgent affairs.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Meditations. The reading beside it is ours.
Being busy is not a permanent exemption from being a friend. Marcus criticizes the easy habit of saying, "I don't have time," whenever another person needs a response, a call, or simple consideration. Of course you cannot be available to everyone at every moment. But "busy" can become a respectable cover for avoidance, distraction, and poor priorities. You may answer dozens of low-value messages while leaving a worried sibling, old friend, or teammate waiting for weeks. Relationships do not usually break through one dramatic betrayal; they erode through repeated postponement. Treat connection as a responsibility, not something you fit in after everything else is done. A brief honest reply is often better than silence. Today, think of one person you have been meaning to contact. Send the message, make the call, or set a real time on the calendar instead of offering another vague promise.
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