Memento Mori

Remember that you must die

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This week’s edition is very special to me because today marks exactly 6,940 days (19 years) that I have experienced life on earth. So before we begin, Happy Birthday to me. That said, I want to share with us an aesthetical stoic concept, Memento Mori.

Whenever the topic of death is raised, there is a tense atmosphere for most people and they want to ward off the evil or dangerous energy. However, man is a mortal, fragile being and therefore — whether you like it or not — the inevitable end of man is death.

Memento mori is a Latin phrase that translates to English as “remember that you must die”. The early stoics practised the act of Memento mori to constantly remind themselves of their relatively temporary life here on earth.

Now, before you ward off this negative energy, understand that practising the act of Memento mori is not to allow yourself to get depressed or paranoid but to remind you to do the things that really matter in your life. Marcus Aurelius, one of Rome’s powerful emperors and an early stoic philosopher, wrote:

You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do, say, and think.

Let the practice of Memento mori not frighten you, but instead, let it inspire you to do the right things and in the right way. Let go of that grudge, no matter how much you were hurt. Project your goals and set out a plan that you will purposefully follow to achieve them. Eat healthily, exercise, apply for that job, be kind. Tomorrow is not certain.

And this is the true purpose of Memento mori. Not to frighten, but to inspire. The stoics practice Memento mori by carrying with them small artefacts that remind them of their mortality or by engraving the phrase on their bodies. I constantly remind myself of my short stay on earth whenever I lose my temper or when I try to reschedule my plans unnecessarily.

Remember that you must die. It is the inescapable circle of life. Don’t fear it, but embrace it. Charge yourself to do the necessary things in life, and live with love. Memento Mori!