There’s a frustratingly high standard defined in several of the most impactful ancient texts:

It isn’t enough to simply behave righteously. We need to think righteously.

It’s hard enough to smile and be cordial to someone who we feel has wronged us. That itself is a big win.

But the instruction from Christian, Stoic, Buddhist (and possibly other) schools of thought is that we can’t stop there. We lose the impact of positive action, both for ourselves and for those around us, if the motivation isn’t pure.

Thus, we must treat others with respect and actually mean it.

It isn’t enough to keep our mouth shut when we want to complain. We need to stop the complaining that goes on in our mind.

It isn’t enough to keep from performing a harmful action against someone. We must remove the desire to even consider this action.

The phrasing and justification for this approach is different between the various schools of thought, but the outcome is the same. Looking inward and working on ourselves is the only lasting path to living an ethical and rewarding life.

-Brandon