Hello Readers,
This is my first entry for a new newsletter: Just something to consider. In this we will dive into many different ideas from a range of topics I find interesting. If you learn even one new thing, or look to implement one new idea into your daily lives, I will have done my job. I would love to hear your feedback, what you learnt, or what you could teach me about the topic:
Memento Mori, which loosely translates to remember your death, is a fundamental stoic concept which has been employed for thousands of years to create clarity, priority and urgency in ones life. It is the ancient practice of reflecting, and reconciling daily on the idea that life is finite, and that death is inescapable.
Marcus Aurelius says: You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do, and say, and think.
What would you do today, if you knew in a years time would be your death? You would (I hope) do some important shit. You wouldn’t wait for the right moment, or the perfect conditions, you would just get it done. You would appreciate the things you might have taken for granted otherwise. You would fill with gratitude of the time you get to spend, knowing you won’t waste it. This is the benefit and beauty of having this idea at the forefront of your thoughts. You gain real perspective on what is important, what is trivial, how you want to spend your time, how you do not.
The energy Memento Mori creates is often found (admittedly in a more intense form) in people who have had near-death experience. During this process, there is an acute increase in appreciation and gratitude for the small, overlooked things in life. Fortunately, we can gain (almost) all the upside that comes with a near death experience in gratitude, happiness, and priority, without the downside of actually having to create a situation where you nearly die, and then actually perform it without dying.
Remind yourself this:
You are dying every day.
Death is not an event, a stationary date we move towards every day. Death is a process. Each second that passes is claimed by it. Death is happening right now. What can we do about this? Live. Leave nothing unfinished. Stop putting things off.
This is not something you apply once, and then you’re good to go. It requires a daily application. But you soon find the fruits of a traditionally taboo perspective. You actually feel grateful for things you know you should be grateful for. You allow it to set your direction and lead your action. You create the energy and tenacity to engage with life and it’s challenges, and the urgency to stop being so wasteful with your time on trivial, and unfulfilling activities.
Tips For Implementation
Meditate On Death
Seneca had a practice of telling himself you may not wake up tomorrow, when going to be and you may not sleep again, when waking up as a reminder of his mortality. Some form of this practice (if repeated) could produce the urgency and priority you are looking for to wrestle with life effectively. It is important that this is a frequent meditation.
Unlimited Wants, limited Time
In a world of unlimited wants, and limited time, we must make the decision on how we will spend our day. Ask yourself: Have I been wasteful with my time? Have I spent this finite resource on things that don’t matter, with people that don’t matter? Or have you been living in accordance with that which is most important. Likely not. Make that change.
Gratitude
If you do not meditate on your own death, consider the death of people you knew from your childhood. They might have been around your age. They might have even been younger then you. They didn’t get a chance to carry on. They didn’t know when it would happen. I’m sure, if given the chance, they would want to experience the things we take for granted even if it was just one more time. It would be an insult to them if you were continuously living a life of trivial unimportance. Stop being wasteful. Wake up, show gratitude for waking up, and make the most out of this opportunity you have today.
Don’t wait
Don’t wait for a terminal illness, a near-death experience, a death of a loved one to start truly living. To start truly valuing your own time. To start truly valuing their presence. Time takes everything and leaves nothing. We can’t pick and choose when to engage with people and things that are important to us because we don’t know death’s timetable. Don’t wait. Start now.
Just something to consider.
If you spent your time reading this, I truly appreciate you.
Nice read Rawiri!
Loved this bro, definitely hits close to home for me. Reminds me of some of the buddhist teachings on death, where you should acknowledge and accept that life is part of the preparation for death. It might seem depressing at first, but accepting death allows you to live fully and without fear, and gives you the want to use your time positively and make beneficial changes to the world while you can which I really believe in