“As Seneca understood, to free yourself from the fear of death you must work backward. You start with the thought of your mortality. You think ahead to this inevitable moment and...
The 50th Law, Chapter 10, The Sublime
Quote Continued
determine to face it as bravely as possible.”
Explanation
The typical approach to the prospect of our inevitable death is often one of wilful ignorance.
Rather than confront the reality that mortality is intrinsic to life and must therefore come to each of us sooner or later, overwhelmed by feelings of fear and helplessness, we decide to simply ignore this notion.
We seek to live in the moment, basking in the immediate pleasures of this impermanent life.
Seneca the Younger, perhaps the greatest Stoic writer of the ancient world, believed that in order to truly overcome our fear of death and live more satisfying lives, we ought to move in the opposite direction from what we are taught today.
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