Self-Improvement

March 16, 2024

Cancer, the disease, spends most of its life completely undetectable until a doctor delivers the surprising bad news. Altering our perception of life and death.

What most don’t realize is that there is another hidden disease. We all have it. There is no cure, no vaccine, and no amount of surgery can reverse its effects. It’s terminal.

It’s called death.

I think we can all acknowledge the fact that we will die one day, right?

Everyone reading is aware that eventually, one day, you and everyone you love won’t be here anymore.

Except that isn’t true.

You're not going to die one day.

You're dying right now.

We will all die one day. At any moment. Even our next hour isn’t promised. It isn’t a problem by itself, but our reaction to this information can be. We all fear death, but for many of us, the life we live isn’t much better.

YOLO is a misunderstood concept. Yes, you only live once. So why waste it doing meaningless things that don’t bring you fulfillment?

People say YOLO as a means of justifying destructive habits that they will end up regretting long before they are even close to death. Using the fact that we will die anyway as their reasoning.

If anything, the fact that you only live once, and life is short is exactly why we should be more intentional about what we are doing.

I’d much rather die young striving to my fullest potential and giving my fullest gifts than live a life doing things that won’t bring about good to anybody just on the off chance that I don’t get to indulge in the quick pleasures of life.

Some people will probably say it's all meaningless anyway and by the time they die, they won't care about how they spent their lives.

In response to this, I would question them about all of the people who have regrets on their deathbeds.

The most prominent being:

“I wish that I had the courage to live a life that was true to myself. Not one that others expected of me.”

We know that most people die with regrets.

We have evidence of this.

So to say that you won’t because you “don’t care” and “its all pointless anyway” is just a massive cope to sound edgy and avoid taking any personal responsibility for your life trajectory.

Death Meditation

I know that it’s a grim topic, but I’ve been meditating on this concept of death a lot recently.

There was a situation that happened a little while back that sparked these thoughts.

I was spending some time with my father at his place. The first time in a while that I had spent any quality time with him.

I could see how much he was enjoying spending time with me. But it started to get late.

Normally, this would have stressed me out and caused me to go home. My sleep is very important to me and my work.

But as I was getting ready to

announce my leaving, I started to think about how the time with my father was limited. If he were to die the next day, or I were to die instead, we would both have wished that I had chosen to stay and hang out.

I would have lived the rest of my life regretting that I chose work over my family.

This sparked a lot of emotion in me. These emotions led me to question what other areas of my life have I been taking for granted or not living to my fullest potential.

I even wrote this journal about it:

There were a few other experiences that also made me meditate on my death, but this one was the first and the most profound.

If you start to meditate and acknowledge your death while doing anything, you will find that you are:

• More selective in what you spend your time doing.
• More purposeful in the things you do end up doing.
• More willing to give things your best effort.
• Staying and enjoying the present moment.
• More disciplined.
• Less likely to engage in instant gratification.
• More present with family and friends(yk, the ones who matter most?)

The easiest way you can incorporate this death meditation in your life is through a phrase: Memento Mori which is Latin for “remember that you will die,” reminding people of the inevitability of death and the transient nature of life.

It has roots in ancient Rome, particularly in Stoic philosophy, where it was embraced by figures like Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor.

“You could leave life right now, let that determine what you do and say and think.”-Marcus Aurelius

There are accounts that claim that Marcus Aurelius had a servant whose sole duty was to whisper "memento mori" in his ear during moments of triumph or pride. (this is tuff ngl)

This served as a humbling reminder of mortality, keeping him grounded and focused on what truly mattered.

The practice of "memento mori" underscores the Stoic principle of accepting fate and living with awareness of life's impermanence.

It reminds us that, regardless of status or achievement, to live virtuously and embrace the reality of death is an essential aspect of being human.

Memento Mori is the one thing that has been helping me get out of bed for the last few weeks. The thought of my death which can happen at any moment motivates me to be the best that I can be today.

The big idea here:

Remember that you will die.

Not in a depressing way, but such that ensures that you are living life to your fullest potential and that you are giving your fullest gifts on this Earth, while you still can.

In this present moment.

Because the present moment is all we have.

And tomorrow isn’t promised.

I want to leave you with a quote that I found from Siddhartha Gautama(aka the Buddha)

“Some day, we may be sick, we shall become aged; from death, there is no escape. Pride of youth, pride of health, pride of existence - all thoughtful people should cast them aside.-Buddha

That is all for today, thank you for reading.

If you haven't already, be sure to check out my new free self-improvement community called the Apperception Alliance.

Also check out the free journaling course, 14 Days To Purpose, if you haven't already.

If you want to know what I'm reading this week,(on my vacation to the Philiplines) check it out here.

Have a great weekend, see ya.

-Abraham