Covert Contracts according to Marcus Aurelius 19 upvotes | June 13, 2018 | by redwall92 ------------------------- This is a good description of what covert contracts look like. This is someone trying to find them and kill them.    Meditations, Book 5, #6 > It is the way of one person, when he has done someone a good turn, > to count as a matter of course on being repaid in kind. Another is > not as quick to do so, but all the same, in his own mind, he regards > the beneficiary as being in his debt, and he is conscious of what he > has done. A third is, in a sense, not even conscious of what he has > done; he is rather like a vine which has produced its grapes, and > seeks for no further reward once it has borne its proper fruit, as > with a horse when it has run its race, or a dog when it has followed > its trail, or a bee when it has made its honey. And so such a > person, when he has done a good deed, does not shout about it, but > passes straight on to the next one, as the vine yields new clusters > of grapes when the season comes around. 'So one should be one of > these people who act in this way without, as it were, being aware of > it?' Yes indeed. 'But surely that is precisely what he should be > aware of? For it is the mark, they say, of a social being to > perceive that he is acting for the good of society, and, by Zues, to > wish that his neighbours should notice it too!' What you say is true > enough, but you are misreading the present argument; and because of > that, you will be one of those people I mentioned earlier. For they > too are led astray by reasoning which has a certain plausibility. > But if you make an effort to understand the real meaning of the > argument, you should have no fear that, because of that, you will > neglect any act which serves the common good.    We all have covert contracts. I think it is part of living in relationship .. in community. I think it is inescapable for humans. Even in isolation we tend to think we are owed chances by nature (or by something) for just existing. That just means we will always have this to work on at some level. A realization of the fact of that ongoing work is a step forward in the process of life. It is a huge step forward for guys who have spent their lives trying to please others in order to please themselves. It is a huge step forward for guys who have spent their lives trying to find pleasure by seeking validation from their wives and from others' opinions of themselves. This guy included this in his own personal writings. These personal writings happened to get published; bonus for us. This is the work we are to be doing. ------------------------- Archived from https://theredarchive.com/post/204349