The existence of death need not be depressing.
Because its actually invigorating.
This sublime and unusual experience marked the moment Montaigne changed his life.
Ryan Holiday
Within a few years, he would be one of the most famous writers in Europe.
Its a story as old as time.
And so it was for Montaigne.
Coming so close to death energized him, made him curious.
But the truth is we dont need a near-death experience or a cancer-scare to tap into this energy.
We can access it right nowand there is great power in doing so.
Ryan Holiday
The powerful and the wise have been finding ways to remind themselves of their mortality for centuries.
Their art is filled with it.
Their writing muses on it.
Their desks were staged with totems to remind them of the urgency of life.
They would keep it close their body too, wearingmemento morirings, cufflinks, even tattoos.
They never wanted to forget:We can go at any moment.
Earlier this year, I felt myself getting a little complacent.
I went on 99designs and had my ownMemento Moridesigned, something I could carry with me everywhere.
Its a two sided coin.
On the back, it hasMarcus Aureliuss quote: You could leave life right now.
Let that determine what you do and say and think.
(You canget your own version of the coin hereif you want one.)
The point is urgency.
We may not say it, but deep down we often act and behave like were invincible.
Like were impervious to the trials and tribulations of mortality.That stuff happens tootherpeople, not toME.
I have plenty of time left.
We forget how light our grip on life really is.
How out of our hands it can be.
All of these are negated by death.
A car can hit you in an intersection and drive your teeth back into your skull.
It will all be over.
Today, tomorrow, someday soon.
And theres nothing it’s possible for you to do about it.
What is in our control?
The diagnosis is terminal for all of us.
As the writer Edmund Wilson put it, Death is one prophecy that never fails.
Every person is born with a death sentence.
Be ready for when that day comes.
We should focus on living the second in front of us right now, while we still have it.
Its not morbid to think about death constantly.
Its stupid not to.
It creates real perspective and urgency.
The existence of death need not be depressing.
Because its actually invigorating.
Reminding ourselves each day that we will die, helps us treat our time as a gift.
It cuts down on bullshit and the unnecessary.
It suddenly doesnt feel rude to say noit feels selfish to the people you care aboutnot to.
Takea page from the ancientsand even from the not so distant past.
Dont shy away from death.
Become familiar with it.
Let it do its joblet it energize and propel you further.
Let it help you life a better life.
