Thinking About Death | Stoic Philosophy
The front of the coin says, “Memento Mori,” which means “remember you will die.” The back of the coin is a quote from Stoic philosopher, Marcus Aurelius that says, “you could leave right now.”
My favorite author, Ryan Holiday carries this coin with him wherever he goes. He was selling them on his website, so because I thought it looked cool and in order to support him, I went ahead and purchased one.
The last thing I tend to think about in my life is death. Partly because it just seems so far away, and partly because it is a grim subject to think about. I’m not here preaching about embracing death, but I think Holiday’s interpretation of what the coin means is a good idea as to how I feel about the subject.
“The coin acts as a reminder to not obsess over trivialities, or trying to become famous, make more money than we could ever spend, or make plans far off in the future. All these are negated by death. It’s time we stop pretending otherwise.”
For me, that means when fear becomes the force holding me back, I can look at the coin and ask myself, will I regret saying yes/no to this decision on my deathbed. It gives me that little spark of courage that I need to make the right decision, even if it is the harder choice.
Originally published at www.nicholasbmills.com on August 28, 2017.
