The Stoics had a word, sympatheia, for the way all things are connected, like limbs of one body. Marcus told himself that people are made for one another, and that to work against each other is unnatural, like the right hand fighting the left. This is not soft sentiment; it is a practical lens. The stranger who is short with you, the coworker you find difficult, they are part of the same shared life you depend on. You do not have to like everyone. But you can stop seeing other people as obstacles and start seeing them as fellow members of one stretched-out family. Even a little of this softens the day. We get further leaning toward each other than away.

Inspired by the old idea of sympatheia. Written by Ugo Charles.