The Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius - College of Stoic Philosophers

132 THE THOUGHTS OF vi
41. Whatever of the things which are not within thy
power thou shalt suppose to be good for thee or evil, it
must of necessity be that, if such a bad thing befall thee
or the loss of such a good thing, thou wilt blame the gods,
and hate men too, those who are the cause of the misfor
tune or the loss, or those who are suspected of being likely
to be the cause ;
and indeed we do much injustice, because
we make a difference between these things [because we do
not regard these things as indifferent |]. But if we judge
only those things which are in our power to be good or
bad, there remains no reason either for finding fault with
God or standing in a hostile attitude to man.
42. We are all
working together to one end, some \vith
knowledge and design, and others without knowing what
they do ;
as men also when they are asleep, of whom it is
Heraclitus, I think, who says that they are labourers and
co-operators in the things which take place in the universe.
But men co-operate after different fashions : and even
those co-operate abundantly, who find fault with what
happens and those who try to oppose it and to hinder it ;
for the universe had need even of such men as these. It
remains then for thee to understand among what kind of
workmen thou placest thyself ;
for he who rules all things
will certainly make a right use of thee, and he will receive
thee among some part of the co-operators and of those
whose labours conduce to one end. But be not thou such
a part as the mean and ridiculous verse in the play, which
Chrysippus speaks of.
43. Does the sun undertake to do the work of the rain,
or Aesculapius the work of the Fruit-bearer [the earth] ?
And how is it with respect to each of the stars, are they
not different and yet they work together to the same end ?
44. If the gods have determined about me and about
the things which must happen to me, they have determined
well, for it is not easy even to imagine a deity without fore
thought ;
and as to doing me harm, why should they have