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P.S. You’ll find links to related meditations and podcasts at the end.
Thinking About Life (and Death)
Philosophers and theologians alike point to a universal fear and forgetfulness around death. In How We Live is How We Die, the American nun and Buddhist teacher Pema Chödrön observes:
Some people banish the thought of death from their minds and act as if they will live forever. Some tell themselves that life is the only thing that matters since death—in their view—equals nothingness. Some become obsessed with their health and safety and base their lives on staving off the unavoidable for as many years as possible. It is less common for people to open themselves fully to the inevitability of their death—and any fear that may provoke it—and to live their lives accordingly.
The ancient practice of memento mori (Latin for remember that you will die) is designed to help us remember our mortality. The maxim, “Think as a Mortal,” is one of the 147 ancient sayings inscribed upon a stone monument at Delphi. These reflections and emphasis on mortality could seem grim. But similar to other maxims, like “Know thyself” or “This too shall pass,” these pithy words of wisdom help us accept life's eternal truths.
In his classic work Meditations on Death, the Catholic theologian Thomas à Kempis noted,
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 a man who expects to die before the day is out. …
If you aren’t fit to face death today, it’s very unlikely you will be by tomorrow; besides, tomorrow is an uncertain quantity; you have no guarantee that there will be any tomorrow—for you. […]
Paradoxically, thinking about life (and death) helps us live—today.
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