Greetings Friends,
Thank you for reading and listening this week! Below is a short contemplation, “On Thinking About Death,” from the Christian theologian Thomas à Kempis, along with links to this week’s meditations. After a short break, I released a new episode of In Search of Wisdom. I encourage you to check out the episode titled Getting Over Yourself with Jay Garfield.
Until next week, be wise and be well!
📿 On Thinking About Death
This week’s contemplation comes from the Christian theologian Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380–1471). In his classic Meditations on Death, Kempis wrote,
Your time here is short, very short; take another look at the way in which you spend it. Here man is today; tomorrow, he is lost to view; and once a man is out of sight, it’s not long before he passes out of mind. How dull they are, how obdurate, these hearts of ours, always occupied with the present, instead of looking ahead to what lies before us! Every action of yours, every thought, should be those of someone who expects to die before the day is out.
Similar to Seneca and Montaigne, Kempis asks,
If you hope to live well and wisely, try to be, here and now, the person you would want to be on your deathbed. What will give you confidence then—the confidence which ensures a happy death?
Contemplation Questions (Pick one or create your own!):
What does it mean to live well and wisely?
How might remembering that “life is short” help you to live well?
This Week’s Meditations…
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Thank you for reading/listening this week; I hope you found something useful.
Until next time, be wise and be well,
J.W.
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