Everything Is A Kind Of Dying | A Little Better Every Day
The Daily Stoic
Daily Stoic | Backyard Ventures
4.5 • 5.3K Ratings
🗓️ 29 January 2024
⏱️ 11 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Marcus Aurelius knew this, but he didn’t let it get him down. In fact, he found some reassurance in it. “When we cease from activity, or follow a thought to its conclusion,” he observed, “it is a kind of death.” But this doesn’t harm us, he pointed out. In fact, we look forward to many of these cessations and conclusions. “Think about your life,” he said, “childhood, boyhood, youth, old age. Every transformation a kind of dying. Was that so terrible?”
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In today's Daily Stoic Journal reading, Ryan explores the Stoic idea of bettering oneself with small steps every day by reflecting on quotes from Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius.
The Stoics and future generations kept the idea of Memento Mori close by with jewelry, writing, art, and music because death doesn’t make life pointless—it makes life purposeful. They were trying to remember: We can go at any moment. We must not waste time. And that’s why we decided to add to the rich history of Memento Mori with our Memento Mori medallion, signet ring, and pendant—each reminders we must live NOW, while there is still time.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast. Each day we bring you a meditation inspired by the ancient Stoics, |
| 0:09.8 | illustrated with stories from history, current events and literature to help you be better at what you do. |
| 0:15.0 | And at the beginning of the week, we try to do a deeper dive, setting a kind of stoic intention for the week, something to meditate on, |
| 0:22.5 | something to think on, |
| 0:24.1 | something to leave you with, to journal about |
| 0:26.4 | whatever it is you happen to be doing. |
| 0:28.7 | So let's get into it. |
| 0:35.0 | Everything is a kind of dying. |
| 0:38.0 | It may seem dark to think about it this way, but it's true. |
| 0:41.0 | We are constantly dying, dying every every day as Seneca said life is a one-way |
| 0:45.9 | street time marches in only one direction things are always ending always coming to a close or |
| 0:50.7 | getting closer to one Marcus realist knew but he didn't let it get him down. |
| 0:55.0 | In fact, he found some reassurance in it. |
| 0:57.0 | When we cease from activity or follow a thought to its conclusion, he observed, |
| 1:02.0 | it is a kind of death but this doesn't harm us he pointed out in fact |
| 1:06.1 | we look forward to many of these sensations and conclusions think about your life he said |
| 1:10.8 | childhood boyhood youth old, every transformation a kind of dying. |
| 1:15.6 | Was that so terrible? Of course not, it's just how life is. From one end comes another |
| 1:21.0 | beginning. Nothing lasts forever, nor we want it otherwise. |
| 1:25.0 | Instead we have to accept change if not embrace it. |
| 1:28.0 | We have to accept that none of us maintain anything or any form forever. |
| 1:31.3 | Instead we are transitioning always some quickly some more |
... |
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