Remember We Die
Death as a key to life
Life for most of us is filled with excess…entertainment, work, food, clothes, leisure time, ____________ (fill in the blank).
All of this excess, in many ways, defines the meaning of “American” for a lot of people. We have the freedom to choose, and we value that freedom above all else. We want to pursue our interests and desires.
A few years ago, a survey asked Americans and Europeans which is more important:
- “Freedom to pursue life’s goals without state intervention”
- “State guarantee that no one is in need”
Guess which choice won?
In the U.S 58% chose freedom over 35% for eradicating neediness.
In Britain, the response was the exact opposite — 55% for eradicating neediness and 38% for freedom.
The message is clear: as Americans, who dwell in abundance, we’ve come to value our freedom and our “right” to pursue our individual pleasures. We seem to care less about our neighbor and more about ourselves and our own interests.
Overabundance, while not inherently wrong, leads to ingratitude. We don’t know real suffering like previous generations (Great Depression & World War II generations) and going without internet, social media, or instant entertainment seems unlivable.
Why else would we choose personal freedom over social welfare, other than for personal (selfish) reasons? If we really cared about what mattered (other people) then we would choose the well-being of others over our personal freedoms.
Here’s an illustrative story about Frito-Lay and loud snack foods.
Ha! Forget the environment…give us quieter chip bags!! While we may find offensive that people are incredibly selfish, we all have to admit culpability. Most of us are this way to some extent. A threat to our comforts is a threat against our way of life.
Think about it for a moment:
- Your home
- Job
- Car
- Internet access
- Food
Place limitations on any of these, and you’ve got a fight on your hands. For Americans these things represent freedom. And this country is founded on freedom, right? Well, in the midst of chasing freedom, we may have forgotten some important things. Namely, that life is brief and not all about us.
So, while we’re busy pursuing self-interests, rattling our potato chip bags, deciding what movie to watch, or what kind of food we’re going to over-eat at our next meal…we need to remember we die.
Here today, gone tomorrow. It’s a simple message that can’t be overstated.
Every second, two people die! Why not you or me in the very next second. Wow, that’s scary. So we better start really living!
While death is morbid to contemplate, Stoic philosophy reminds us to remember we die. Thinking about your own death is a key to life. No matter what you believe about the afterlife, having a firm grasp on the reality of death infuses meaning to living. If the thought of death doesn’t resonate with you…if it doesn’t shake you or jar you even a little then that’s proof that you’re taking life for granted. Because when we’re absolutely sure something is fleeting and temporary we tend to treasure it more. But we treat life like a good meal. We love it while we eat, but there’s a never ending supply of food and so we’re not overly concerned that it’ll be the last time we get to enjoy that particular meal.
Such is life for many of us…we’re not concerned it’s going to end any time soon, so we take it for granted.
The tricky part about death isn’t escaping it, but instead, living correctly in spite of it. It’s not death that’s scary, because it can’t be stopped…it’s life that’s scary and the risk of missing out on a real abundant life.
The lesson from the Stoics is: Live like you’re dying!
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