Debt.

It’s a word that carries heavy, negative connotations. It makes us think of credit card balances, student loans, the ever-growing national debt—burdens that weigh us down and, with the power of compounding interest and fees, can seem impossible to escape.

But actually, there is a different kind of debt we are less aware of, one that doesn’t drown us but builds us up. It doesn’t come with a balance sheet or a due date. Yet all the same it grows invisibly, imperceptibly, with every conversation, every example, and every moment of guidance given to us.

It’s the kind of debt Marcus Aurelius opens Meditations reflecting upon:what he has learned from various influential individuals in his life. In the Gregory Hays translation (our favorite, which we are very indebted to) of Meditations, Book 1 is titled “Debts and Lessons,” and the 17 entries spanning nine pages and more than 2,000 words make up nearly 10% of the entire book!

Debt is the operative word in that title—he owed so many people so much. Marcus Aurelius knew he was a product of so many mentors, influences, advisors and teachers. He couldn’t have been successful without Fronto, Rusticus, his mother Lucilla, his brother Severus, his adopted father Antoninus Pius, and even the Gods. He understood that what they had taught him and showed him and opened his mind and heart to were priceless. And that this debt wasn’t something he could pay back, but he could acknowledge it and ultimately, pay it forward.

Each of us is the sum of these debts. We are products of our influences, our environments, our family and friends….and random circumstances. Success, or failure, is a collaborative effort. We are, in the end, a reflection of the debts and lessons we receive from the countless people who shape our lives. It’s a good balance to carry and a better one to transfer to others.