the human duty

“For as these were made to perform a particular function, and, by performing it according to their own constitution, gain in full what is due to them, so likewise, a human being is formed by nature to benefit others, and, when he has performed some benevolent action or accomplished anything else that contributes to the common good, he has done what he was constituted for, and has what is properly his.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 9.42

It is our supreme duty to work for the common good. We need to serve other people and change our perception so that we see a share of the divine in each person that we come across. It’s human nature to help and serve others of our kind. If we don’t participate in generous actions, then we are deviating from our true nature; there is a misalignment between us and our Inner Being.  

In his book, A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy, William B. Irvine writes:

“To fulfill my social duty—to do my duty to my kind—I must feel a concern for all mankind.  I must remember that we humans were created for one another, that we were born, says Marcus, to work together the way our hands or eyelids do.  Therefore, in all I do, I must have as my goal ‘the service and harmony of all.’ More precisely, ‘I am bound to do good to my fellow-creatures and bear with them.’”