The Stoics had a word, sympatheia—the sense that everything is connected, that people are made for one another like hands or eyes. Marcus said we were born to work together, and that turning against each other is unnatural. When someone frustrates you today, it can help to remember you're on the same side of being human. They have fears and tiredness and good intentions gone sideways, just like you. This doesn't mean letting people walk over you. It means leading with a little patience, assuming the other person is doing their flawed best. We're all rowing the same boat, badly, together.

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