Tending the Hive

It feels a little bit like things suddenly got really bad — the political order is not working; government agencies are failing; the stock market is collapsing, and the economy turned out to be not nearly as robust as we thought.

(This post is edited, adapted, and taken from The Daily Stoic. (link below) I include it because it speaks an attitude we need to bring to the time and issues we face today. )

And it’s true. These things are happening. But it’s important to remind ourselves that this is not new. It’s just that the darkness from the edge of town, the one Springsteen sang about—the bad luck, the poverty, the struggle, the pain—shifted a little bit. Now that it’s everyone’s — your — problem, we’re suddenly taking it seriously.

When 50 Cent was being interviewed about his and Robert Greene’s book, The 50th Law, in 2009, he made a pretty interesting observation. A reporter asked him about the then new and alarming financial crisis. He said something like, “You know, where I’m from, it’s always been a recession.”

So, before we throw ourselves a pity party about this global pandemic and the recession it’s causing, let’s remind ourselves — This is not new. This is not some tragedy that’s only affecting you. This is a timeless fact of existence. This has been happening to people for years – somewhere. It just wasn’t evenly distributed.

When the Stoics talked about sympatheia, they wanted us to realize that we were all tied up with each other. That there was a real cost to letting the hive (or a fellow bee) be harmed. Did they fall short of their own ideals by tolerating slavery and imperialism? Yes, no question. But the Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius, strove to do everything he could for other people—he didn’t allow his privilege to blind him to the fact that other people had it much worse.

We are being reminded today just how interconnected and interdependent we are. Those warehouse workers needing a better minimum wage, those people without health insurance, those people who were called “deplorables”— they’re a lot more important than many thought. Look at the empty shelves — their health and security is more related to our own than we might have realized. Perhaps they were the canary in the coal mine, in some cases almost literally so.

Our — your — suffering is real. It’s unfortunate, but it’s not new and it’s not special. And maybe one way to lessen it — and prevent it in the future — is to be grateful for this life… the unearned gift of it… and for all the circles and interconnections – natural, human, and social – that support and make it possible, and care more about our fellow members of the hive. They may wear a mask – or not. They may travel, hold opinions you don’t like, or vote for people you can’t stand.

But thinking differently is also not new. Conflict is eternal; disagreeing is endemic to life. So be brave, heroic, adult. Don’t give into fear, bitterness or resentment. There is still much – a lot! — to be grateful for. Let that guide you. And tend “the hive” – your hive – as best you can.

Edited and adapted from The Daily Stoic — https://dailystoic.com/