"What if someone despises me? Let them see to it. But I will see to it that I won't be found doing or saying anything contemptible. What if someone hates me? Let them see to that. But I will see to it that I'm kind and good-natured to all, and prepared to show even the hater where they went wrong. Not in a critical way, or to show off my patience, but genuinely and usefully."-MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 11.13
(“누군가 저를 경멸하면 어떻게 하나요? 그렇게 하도록 내버려둬요. 하지만 제가 경멸할 만한 행동이나 말을 하지 않도록 주의하겠습니다. 누군가 나를 싫어하면 어떻게 하나요? 그렇게 하도록 내버려 둡니다. 하지만 저는 모든 사람에게 친절하고 선량하며, 미워하는 사람에게도 그들이 어디에서 잘못했는지 보여줄 준비가 되어 있다는 것을 보여줄 것입니다. 비판적인 방식이나 내 인내심을 과시하기 위해서가 아니라 진정으로 유용하게 말이죠."-마르쿠스 아우렐리우스, 명상, 11.13)
When someone has a strong opinion about something, it usually says more about them than whatever or whomever the opinion happens to be about. This is especially true when it comes to resentment and hatred of other people. (It is a sad irony that the prejudiced often harbor secret attractions to those they so publicly hate.)
For this reason, the Stoic does two things when encountering hatred or ill opinion in others. They ask: Is this opinion ...
