12-31-2023

I’ve never been one to make New Year’s resolutions. But I do use my birthday in February as the start of a new year of my life. Since this one will be 70th, I think it’s about time to admit I’m not living forever and to reconcile myself with death. I don’t know that I’ve ever feared death, but I’ve known for a long time it’s going to be the end of the familiar. I’ll be consulting the Stoics and keeping a journal because each day from today will be ever more valuable.

“Accept death in a cheerful spirit, as nothing but the dissolution of the elements from which each living thing is composed. If it doesn’t hurt the individual elements to change continually into one another, why are people afraid of all of them changing and separating? It’s a natural thing. And nothing natural is evil.” 

Marcus Aurelius

12-16-2023

 Amor Fati, love fate. Embrace the things in life you can’t control when you encounter them. You can’t deal with them until you accept them and find out how to turn them to your advantage. 

12-15-2023

 I keep encountering this concept in my reading and I think it’s a very positive way to look at death. Maybe because I’ll be 70 soon and I’m coming face to face with my mortality I find this resonates with me.

The idea is that death is not the end of life. Death began as soon as we were born. Every day we die a little more, until all those little deaths add up to the final death. We are always dying. How can we fear that?

12-11-2023

Peace of mind can be achieved through actions done for others; empathy, compassion, gratitude.