"At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: 'I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I am going to do what I was born for?'"

Harriet Tubman suffered from a severe head injury caused by an overseer when she was a teenager. For the rest of her life, she suffered from sudden seizures and narcoleptic episodes where she would pass out instantly. Her body was broken. She had escaped slavery and reached the safety of Philadelphia. She had earned the right to rest. She had a warm bed and freedom.

Yet, nineteen times she got out of that bed and walked back into the jaws of hell. She traveled back to the South, navigating swamps and forests in the freezing winter, to rescue families. She didn't have to do it. It wasn't her job. She wasn't being paid.

On one trip, her feet were so frozen and swollen that she could barely walk. She was terrified. But she didn't stay under the covers. She viewed herself not as a person designed for comfort, but as an instrument designed for liberation. She believed that her purpose—her "work as a human being"—was to serve others. To stay in bed while others were in chains would have been a violation of her own nature.

This story shatters the modern excuse of, "I'm too tired." Marcus Aurelius, the most powerful man in the world, also didn't want to get out of bed. He was likely sick, tired from war, and dreading the endless meetings of the Roman court. The blankets were warm. The world was cold.

But Marcus argues with himself. He asks a biological question: "Was I made for this? To lie under the blankets and keep warm?"

A distinct feeling of comfort is not the purpose of a human being. A horse is made to run. A bee is made to pollinate. If a bee stayed in the hive because it was cozy, the hive would die. Marcus realizes that the "work of a human being" is active service. We are social animals. We are built to solve problems, help others, and build communities. When you hide in bed to avoid the day, you are rejecting your own humanity. You are choosing the existence of an oyster over the existence of a man.

Errors & Corrections

• Don't confuse "work" with your "job". Your job is how you make money. Your "work as a human being" is how you contribute to the human family, which you do even if you are unemployed.
• Don't view rest as the goal of life. Rest is merely the pit stop required to fuel the car. The goal is the race.
• Don't wait to feel "motivated" to act. Motivation is a feeling, and feelings are fickle. Duty is a fact, and facts do not care how tired you are.

Applications to Modern Life

Competitive Sports

The alarm rings at 4:30 AM. Your body is sore from yesterday. It is dark and cold outside. The average person hits snooze because they view exercise as a chore or a hobby. You get up because you view your body as the instrument of your craft. You do not train because you feel "motivated". Motivation is a fleeting emotion for amateurs. You train because the work is the price of your identity. To sleep in is to cast a vote for your own defeat before the game has even started.

Work

You might hate your current job. It feels meaningless. But even in a boring job, you can do the work of a human being. You can be kind to a customer. You can help a stressed colleague. You can bring order to chaos. When you focus on the human service rather than the corporate task, the work gains dignity.

Leadership

A leader cannot lead from the rear. If you expect your team to work hard, you must be the first one up and the last one down. Your energy sets the tempo. If you are sluggish and complaining, you give permission for the entire organization to be lazy.

Interpersonal Relationships

Parenting is the ultimate morning summons. You are exhausted. The baby is crying at 3 AM. It is physically painful to get up. But you do it because it is what you are "born for" in that role. Apply this same discipline to your partner. When they need you, getting off the couch isn't a favor, it's your function.

Social Media

We often stay in bed scrolling through our phones. This is the ultimate anti-work. We are consuming the lives of others instead of living our own. We are passive observers. Put the phone in another room. Wake up and create something before you consume anything.

Maxims

• You were made for action.
• Do the job of a human.
• Comfort is a nice place to visit, but a bad place to live.

In-depth Concepts

Telos (Purpose/End Goal)

Aristotle and the Stoics believed everything has a Telos: A specific design and purpose. The telos of a knife is to cut. If a knife is used as a hammer, it is being misused. The telos of a human is rational, social action. When we are lazy or selfish, we are like a dull knife: We are failing to be what we are.

Ergon (Function)

This is the specific work that defines a thing. The ergon of an eye is seeing. The ergon of a human is, "activity of the soul in accordance with reason." Marcus is reminding himself that sleeping is not the ergon of a human. Sleeping is what we share with dumb animals. Active, rational service is what makes us unique.