They Err from Ignorance
This week you are going to study one of the most practically useful ideas in all of Stoic philosophy: that people who behave badly do so out of ignorance, not malice. The Stoics called this "they err involuntarily" (in Greek, the idea traces to Socrates and is woven through Stoic thought as the principle that no one does wrong willingly, Greek: "oudeis hekon hamartanei"). What that means in plain words is this: when someone hurts you, acts selfishly, or causes harm, they are almost always confused about what is truly good, not evil at the core. Learning to see difficult people through this lens does not mean excusing bad behaviour; it means understanding it clearly enough that you can respond with wisdom instead of rage.
Passage
How inhuman it is to forbid men to set out after what appears suitable and advantageous to themselves. Yet, in a way, you are not allowing them to do this, whenever you are indignant because they do wrong; for certainly they are moved to what looks to be suitable and advantageous to themselves. 'But it is, in fact, not so.' Very well, instruct them and make it plain; don't be indignant.
— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations VI.27
Reflection
Marcus now presses on a feeling most of us know well: indignation. When someone does something obviously wrong, the anger feels righteous and even useful. But Marcus points out a contradiction. You believe the person is acting for what seems good and advantageous to them; that is exactly why they did it. To be furious at someone for pursuing what they believe is their own good is to be furious at something deeply human and, in a way, unavoidable. The Stoic move is not to swallow your anger silently; it is to replace indignation with instruction. If you genuinely see more clearly than the person causing harm, teach, show, explain. Rage assumes they know better and chose wrong. The doctrine of involuntary error reminds you they probably do not know better, which means the useful response is clarity, not heat.
Go deeper
In your current frustrations with a difficult person, are you reaching for indignation because it is easier than the slower work of actually trying to help them understand?
Practice
Indignation to Instruction
Think of one recurring irritation with someone in your life. Write down what you wish they understood. Then write one concrete, calm thing you could say or do to help them see it, something you could actually deliver without anger. You do not have to act on it today; just draft it.