Many of us believe that we can thrive while the world around us falters, so long as we look after our own.

The Stoics don’t agree. We are not isolated units pursuing private flourishing, but are instead like bees. The hive is our cosmopolis, and our wellbeing is bound up in its wellbeing whether we like it or not.

The colleague we ignore because they're not on our project.

The neighbour we never speak to because we're busy.

The bit of litter we step over because someone else will pick it up.

None of these are dramatic moral failures, of course, but each one is a small example of our belief that we can do well while the hive does badly.

Our character is shaped by these small choices; so the person who routinely ignores the common good becomes someone who finds it easier and easier to look away or withdraw. Then hive deteriorates, and the bees with.

The flip side is the encouraging, though. Every small contribution to the hive is also a contribution to ourselves. Holding the door, returning the shopping trolley, or checking on the friend we haven't heard from for a while. These are ordinary, almost invisible actions but are the work of an individual being a citizen of the cosmopolis.

Today's suggestion: Look for one small thing today that benefits the hive without obviously benefiting us. Do it. Then notice that, somehow, it benefited us anyway.